Umm say what?! A new life cycle stage?! I think the author missed the boat on this one. Just because myself and other genY cohorts want a life filled with meaning, spontaneity and frequent change doesn’t mean we’re not an “adult;” we’re just changing the old, boring definition of it. Based on characteristics that the article lays out for a typical “adult” 20 something year old, I am far, far away from being an adult and probably never would be, despite my well-paid, steady job and no outstanding debt. I just moved into my current house in July and plan to be in a new place by January. My parents still pay for my car insurance and phone bill and I am making car payments to them for the next six months, so I’m definitely not financially independent. Do I want to stay with my job for the next 10 years? Too early to say, I have no idea what I want to do this weekend, much less in a year from now. And the mere thought of getting married and having children makes me want to gag (don’t tell my mother). I’m too busy planning my happy hours and weekend getaways for such substantial thoughts to cross my mind. However, I still say I’m an adult- I put in nine hours of work a day, organize community service events and have had to make a number of very adult decisions this year. I also would definitely say I am more organized and conscious of others than the majority of thirty something “adults” I know.

My current path and future desires are fairly typical of genYers. A friend confessed to me a few weeks ago that she freaks out at the thought of staying at her current job for more than a year or two even though she actually loves it. She just needs variety in her life. Another friend spent a year teaching English in Korea then did AmeriCorps for a year in Lansing and is now looking at other options for when her year of service is done. The author cites 20 somethings taking temporary jobs as a sign that the individual isn’t ready to be an adult. However, my friend has made HUGE differences in both of these communities. Probably even more so than a lot of individuals in the communities who have been at their job for 40+ years. I think genYs willingness to take temporary jobs with organizations like AmeriCorps, Teach for America, etc. is an indication of their unselfish dedication to make the world a better place, a very adult thought in my opinion.

The article ends on “If it really works that way, if this longer road to adulthood really leads to more insight and better choices, then Arnett’s vision of an insightful, sensitive, thoughtful, content, well-honed, self-actualizing crop of grown-ups would indeed be something worth waiting for.” Well, thanks for a positive view of our future BUT wake up, we already are insightful, sensitive, thoughtful, content, well honed and self-actualizing. We’ve been working our butts off to get good grades, to get unpaid internships because many of the current “adults” wouldn’t otherwise pay us for meaningful work and are committed to making the world a better place in our jobs and in the things we choose to get involved with outside of it. Don’t tell me I’m failing to grow up because I’m not following the traditional five steps to adulthood. It’s time for a new definition that fits with this radical new generation of GenYers that want meaning, spontaneity, inspiration, etc., not a pre-defined path of “milestones,” or our own special life stage.

In Lansing, because I was connected to so many great groups of people, movements and initiatives, such as Gumball, YSG, the TIC, etc. I felt like my life had purpose well beyond achieving 4.0s in all my classes. In DC, despite the abundance of nightlife and culture and the steady job I have, I haven’t felt that connection or purpose outside of my work yet. Everyone keeps telling me it comes with time, but I also know I have to continue to be proactive to make it happen. Last week, I connected with other recent MSU grads, who surprisingly felt very similarly. With this small group, I am making my own Gumball group here in order to fill the void left by leaving the best group of motivators I’ve ever had in my life.

For those of you who do not know what Gumball is, you probably think I’m crazy. Gumball started as a small group of committed and driven young adults, who felt they didn’t quite fit into the typical confines of a University club or group. Instead the students worked outside of the system, meeting at Harpers, a local restaurant and bar, every Friday at 5 to discuss different start-ups, projects, events, initiatives, etc. that they were working on. Typical discussions revolved around collaborating to resolve conflicts or roadblocks these individuals faced. Within the group and the group’s contacts, students and recent graduates were able to create some of the best spider webs of networks of anyone at Michigan State University or in the greater Lansing region. Individuals also motivated the other individuals to remain committed to what they were working on and to act on the great ideas floated around the group. While I’m not sure what this new #gumballDC will bring, I feel pretty confident that it could organically grow into not an exact copy of my old gumball group, but a new unique and inspiring group of individuals.

I know some people can feel inspired after listening to a great song, seeing a great piece of architecture or reading a stimulating book; I don’t. Plain and simple, I’m inspired and motivated by those around me, individuals that push me to find meaning in my life outside of my 8-6 by becoming involved in my community and by being part of a solution to challenges and threats all around me.

I know many in this country and even Michigan found it surprising that Kiplinger magazine named Lansing as one of the top 10 cities for young adults, but I don’t. For young individuals looking to be a part of something, like the change in Michigan from a manufacturing based economy to one characterized by small businesses, creativity and technology, Lansing is the place to be. A city can have amazing culture and nightlife, awesome architecture, abundant jobs and all the other right statistics but if it doesn’t have the intangibles of inspiration and meaning, it’s not going to feel like home for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think I can find what I’m looking for here in DC but like my mother says, “it’s going to take time,” and well, effort on my part. Inspiration and motivation isn’t something that just walks up to you and says hello, sometimes you have to look for it.

If you want to read more about YSG, Gumball and other movements in the greater Lansing region, I suggest you check out these articles:

http://www.capitalgainsmedia.com/features/ysglansing0347.aspx… all about YSG in Lansing.

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/02/from_recession_to_reinvention… featuring Gumball and my friend Eric!

My cousin and I at Jazz in the Sculpture Gardens

]]> http://spotlightkell.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/inspiration-gumball-and-kiplinger/feed/ 0 spotlightkell Picture 409 http://spotlightkell.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/big-dreams-for-a-big-city-washington-d-c/ http://spotlightkell.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/big-dreams-for-a-big-city-washington-d-c/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:16:45 +0000 spotlightkell http://spotlightkell.wordpress.com/?p=64 ]]>

By the age of five I was claiming I would be the first female president of the United States of  America (watch out Hilary!). While I no longer have presidential or even congressional ambitions, I think most of those closest to me always knew I’d end up in Washington D.C.; though no one thought I’d be working for IBM doing supply chain management. I’ve always wanted to change the world but have always had different routes of getting there—such as being president, to running a non-profit, to running the World Banks, etc. None of those routes ever consisted of working for the private sector.  In fact, during an interview for a scholarship award that MSU gives to a graduating senior, I took A LOT of heat for daring to think I can make this world a better place while working for a large corporation. Since I haven’t started the job yet (eeeks Monday!), I can’t claim with certainty that this is the right path, but I think working for IBM will equip me with many tools and skills I need to meet my long-term goal.

But moving to D.C. has inflated my goals and ambitions even more than the large ones I had in high school and in college, as well as paradoxically making them more realistic. Here, multitudes of international connections to individuals and organizations exist. Opportunities to get involved in game-changing politics usually fall in your lap. And maybe most importunately, you are surrounded by other young adults with the same goals, which spur competition to do better than your peers, but also opens windows of collaboration all around you. It’s easy to get lost in the chaos of opportunities and big dream success in a city like D.C. In Lansing, for example, if I had a question about an environmental related project , I only had two go to woman (thanks Payal and Rory) that almost always could help me. If I wanted to get a blog published, my friend Ivy was always there, and so on and so on. Figuring out how to create that web with those pivotal players from scratch in a daunting place like D.C. is intimidating, but I’m hoping not impossible. Without the network of individuals, like I had in Lansing, I know I can’t accomplish even my smallest and shortest-term goals.

Still, I’ve made a vow to myself to not let any opportunities pass me by, especially in my early stages here. It’s a lot easier to come home after a hard day’s work and read a book than it is to go to one of those awkward networking events where you might not know anyone.   And while I start the full time job on Monday, I’ve also applied for a board position for a D.C. organization, searched out volunteer activities and tried to figure out how to get involved in the D.C. twitter community. I’m open to hearing any other suggestions for connections and opportunities in this new, big, exciting and still kinda scary community.

Iwo Jima Memorial at night last summer...one of my fav sites in D.C.!

Celebrating the 4th in D.C. last summer!

I usually mumbled something like well Wisconsin is known for its cheese, beer and brats and Michigan is known for its failing auto industry… but I still really liked living there! Big fail on my part. 1. I’m lactose intolerant. 2. Wisconsin is known for Miller, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Milwaukee’s Best… not exactly the classiest of beers. 3. I’m a vegetarian. 4. I’ve been working to help spur innovation and thus diversify Michigan’s economy away from the auto industry for the past two years. I actually love the Midwest and would not have wanted to grow up or go to school anywhere else in the country, so I don’t know why I made it seem like the worst possible place to live in the country.

Many of the people I had met on the trip had no idea about the Midwest (one even asked if it was next to Nevada) and based on my awful descriptions, I made sure they were never going to visit there. Most of the people I met were young adults, ready for an adventure and could be easily impressionable with one REALLY good description of the cities and places I love. Talking with my friends, many of them said they did a similar thing with making the Midwest seem like a place just for farmers. Maybe we get intimidated by these foreigners, who have not only lived in what we consider exotic awesome places, but have also travelled to the hippest and coolest cities in the U.S., like Vegas, San Francisco and New York. Well, I guess it’s time to start standing up for what we love, even against the big hot cities.

If I got a second chance here’s my rebuttal explaining the Midwest and in particular my hometown Cedarburg, Milwaukee and Lansing.

First, the people are nicer and happier here. Sure, that’s a sweeping generalization but I have found that in general people are much less pretentious.  My friends, colleagues and mentors are accomplishing amazing things to prepare for the harsh transition away from the manufacturing hub the Midwest once was. However, you oftentimes would never know it because they shy away from press releases gloating over their small but pretty phenomenal accomplishments. As my friend Emily said, “If the East Coast is full of uptight, cut throat people and the West Coast is uber laid back, the Midwest is the perfect middle.” Sure, every now and then you’ll get your crabby waitress but in general, you’re much more likely to have a stranger say hi to you on the street, have the coffee barista remember your name, or meet an accomplished CEO, who’s willing to talk to you about your future and not gloat about his or her own successes.

Second, there is ample access to the beautiful outdoors. In the summer, I can drive a few hours to the cottage in Crivitz, Wisconsin and enjoy a long weekend boating, jet-skiing and paddle boating on the lake. Lake Michigan is always there to provide ample lake fun, no matter if you are in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois or Wisconsin. In the Midwest in the fall, the leaves change the best colors and walking outside of your house and down the street guarantees you a breath-taking “my life is wonderful” moment. In the winter, downhill and cross country skiing hills and trails are easily accessible, as is a snowshoe hike around the lake. Also there’s real outdoor ice skating and pond hockey, none of that fake stuff! In the spring, I like to take advantage of the snow melt and significant rainfall and go kayaking or rafting. No matter where you are or what time of the year it is, in the Midwest you have guaranteed access to the fun and aesthetic outdoors.

Hiking in Kettle Moraine State Park 2007

Third, there is space to live here. While you can choose to live in a crammed apartment or condo complex, you almost always have an affordable house option with some sort of back yard! Try finding that in a big city! I can go running without the threat of being run over by bikes or the more aggressive runners because there is ample space for everyone getting out exercising. If I go to a coffee shop, I don’t wait in line for 20 minutes to have someone spill their coffee on me in their rush to get to whatever important place they need to be.

Fourth, we celebrate everything. I have been to the Asparagus Festival in Empire, Michigan in May, the Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg, Wisconsin in June and the Festival of the Moon and Sun in Lansing, Michigan, as well as many others. I’ve also been at some of the larger festivals, like Summerfest, the world’s largest musical festival that lasts for 11 days and hosts over 800 artists.

Summerfest 2007

Sports teams are also held in reverence and games are a guaranteed celebration, usually win or lose. From tailgating at Big Ten Football games (both for the Badgers and the Spartans, just not the Wolverines), to Brewer’s games at Miller Stadium, to minor league Lugnuts baseball games in Lansing, various Midwest sporting events have been the pinnacle of my young adult life.

Wisconsin versus Michigan State Game 2009

Milwaukee Brewers Game in 2008

Lastly, you can see the stars in the Midwest. Enough said there.

For someone who has barely ever gotten a B in her life (Huyi Hu- I’m still mad about that grade), I let myself get a big fat F on my first explanation. I got intimidated and fell back on short negative publicity quips about the places I love most. I know a lot of wonderful people choosing to live in the Midwest and I’m sure their reasoning for why they love it differs from mine but I’m guessing it’s similar. We just have to make sure we’re appropriately conveying the things we love to others. I realized it’s easy to get embarrassed about the Midwest taglines, but c’mon, I know that there’s a lot more depth hidden behind those awful one liners.

Something important to understand Portland is that it is primarily comprised of a patchwork of neighborhoods. There’s no centrally planned out navigational system and even I, who is pretty adventurous when it comes to public transit, found it somewhat hard to navigate between neighborhoods. Oftentimes, we ended up driving between neighborhoods, which was kind of a bummer. Another interesting characteristic of Portland is that is actually has a pretty high unemployment and what I would guess would be an even higher underemployment, where degree holding young adults are working for minimum wage at coffee shops. Even Portland’s Economic Development Strategy report cites that “Despite the city’s leadership in sustainable living, Portland lags in creating jobs. With the region’s workforce expected to grow at 2.4% annually – about six times faster than in the nation as a whole, even in the face of job declines – the need for job growth will become even more pressing.”

Currently, Portland seems to be in the process of working on this major strategy of investing in four major sectors: clean tech/sustainable industries, advanced manufacturing, activewear, and software, investing in urban innovation and fostering neighborhood vitality. (Thanks to Semiosis for the easy breakdown.) The plan has an extensive list of strategy partners that support the goals of the report and strategy.

Interesting to me, the Portland strategy reads almost identically to Leap’s, Greater Lansing Next Plan, which was released November 11^th, after a 10 month study of regional assets and opportunities by the MSU Land Policy Institute. Like Portland’s plan, LEAP has a series of strategic partners identified as crucial for economic prosperity in the Greater Lansing region.

My concern is what comes next after these wonderfully researched and written out strategic plans? How do you implement broad recommendations like “strengthen and expand our regional mission?” Undoubtedly lots of money goes to creating these great far-sighted plans, but where does the money come from to implement tangible outcomes of these vague goals? Also who brings and coordinates the community that undoubtedly wants to see these broad goals come to being?? While I’d certainly like to see success on both Portland’s and Lansing’s strategic economic development plans, I worry about too broad/ambitious of goals and too much territorial fighting over who is there to achieve those goals. I suppose with any luck, I’ll be proven wrong and both cities will continue to prosper economically, while keeping and achieving even higher quality of living standards. The two cities may be at different starting points, but based on their strategic plans, they are heading towards the same finish line.

The next day on our way out, we stopped at a wonderful farmer’s market and picked up some breakfast and food for the rest of the trip. There was some kind of adventure race happening at the same time because people of all ages and sizes were dressed in crazy outfits running around the place. It was definitely a perfect Saturday morning to me. Overall, Omaha seemed like the perfect Midwest Gem. The city has found a way to transition itself into what appeared to me a totally cosmopolitan city while keeping its unique feel.  I almost felt like I was back in DC with its global, sophisticated and high-end feel, except the prices were 50% less  and the service was 50% better.

The one caveat? All of this took place in a span of less than a probably about a quarter of a mile in a place called Old Market. I asked around if there were really other places to go out in and most responded negatively. While I’d love to live in a place like the downtown I went out in, I’m not convinced that I wouldn’t get bored with that span of 15 or so awesome restaurants and nothing else. What do you think?

To me, the Big Island has everything a young, adventurous Gen Y could dream of, from thrilling adventures to relaxing places of solitude. However, my brother and I have spotted next to none adventurous twenty something year olds. Trust me; we’ve been on the lookout for members of the opposite sex.

There are plenty of rational explanations for this; Hawaii is expensive and twenty somethings can’t afford it. I also am staying in Kona, a cliché tourist town for retirees. However, I’ve gotten away from Kona to the adventure locations and even went out with local family friends and still didn’t really see GenYers. So, being the nerd I am, I did some demographic research on Hawaii. The best stats I could find ranks Hawaii as the third worst state of out-migration of those with college degrees.  Many newspaper  and scholarly articles also refer to Hawaii’s young talent brain drain. Some articles are optimistic, however, that after years of gaining skills (and money I’m assuming), the thirty something crowd does boomerang back to Hawaii.

Hawaii has all the cultural and physical amenities that Gen Y is typically said to look for: Adventure, a beautiful surrounding, space to build their own home (at least on the Big Island), and an active nightlife.

Snorkeling at Kahalu'u Bay!

There’s also a strong sustainability movement with energy diversification and the use of recycled materials. Also important to note, Hawaii has only a 6.8% unemployment rate, below the 9.5% national average for March, 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if Hawaii has jobs and the natural amenities that Generation Y is clamoring for… why haven’t I seen any during my stay here?

Hawaii is a perfect example that much more than surroundings and basic jobs matter for us. Meaningful jobs matter and with most people employed in tourism in Hawaii (24%), the type of jobs Generation Y is looking for here, are just not found in abundance. A Gen Y could have a pretty lush life here, working an 8-5 job that paid the bills and allowed them to surf on the weekends and enjoy a good life. However, I am guessing they are still looking for more meaning/challenge to life.

P.S. Don’t worry, I didn’t waste a day out of my fabulous vacation to write this. I got too burnt yesterday to even really be outside today. I guess two applications of SPF 50 isn’t enough for my ivory tinted skin! Blogging with Kona coffee is a wonderful refugee for my pain!

We took a great tour of Greenwell Kona Coffee Farm!

I’ve been to West Lafayette at least once a year for the last six years when my brother Sam decided as a high school senior to go to Purdue for Chemical Engineering. I’ve always thought of West Lafayette as a manufacturing town far past its prime and encapsulated with boring farmlands. However, after an economics professor, who has traveled around the world, came back from a long weekend trip and said West Lafayette was a “wonderful, cosmopolitan city,” I realized I better reevaluate. After all, I am sure many others hold a very similar perspective of East Lansing and just haven’t given MSU, East Lansing and the greater Lansing region a fair chance either.

So after exploring with my brother and striking up some conversations with the locals there are a few things that I think East Lansing would be well served to emulate. First, just about any restaurant in West Lafayette can get a liquor license. I worried about even writing about this because it could easily be misconstrued to GenY=Booze Hounds, however, a beer with your cheap slice of pizza is a nice social gathering. In East Lansing it’s just not even feasible for a place like Georgios to get a liquor license, or many of the sushi restaurants around campus. We, therefore, are regulated to the limited bars around campus that serve decent food. The more choices the better for us social young adults. After all, variety is the spice of life.

The union at Purdue University is also pretty nice! Now, it’s no University of Wisconsin- Madison union that sits on the lakefront but it does topple the somewhat pathetic MSU Union, which offers no food or seating area that I would ever take my family too. A central location on campus with comfortable seating, a plethora of work spaces and decent food/coffee is what unions should be all about. MSU’s union, unfortunately, is a place I do my banking and study in the basement of but would never actually consider meeting a friend for lunch. Purdue does seem to get this right.

The third thing that struck me is the large amounts of new buildings the University is constructing to house research laboratories and production sites. They created Discovery Park, whose primary goal is to transform a traditional academic culture into one that is more entrepreneurial and supportive of innovation. The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship acts as a capstone for these different science and engineering labs buy creating entrepreneurship education programs to students and faculty and assessing the commercial viability of the research done. This impressive array of physical and program support marks Purdue’s proactive approach to turning West Lafayette and Indiana into a life and physical science hub of for the United States.

I thought I had studied campus entrepreneurship pretty thoroughly across the Big Ten network and bragged about the University of Michigan’s program, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but had never even heard of Purdue’s program, which is arguably the most impressive one. The program includes an entrepreneurial certificate, a entrepreneurship study abroad, events, such as speaker series and business plan competitions, entrepreneurial leadership training for faculty and staff, extensive linkages to University research (as indicated above) and a physical space for all these pockets of entrepreneurship to meet. Of those completing this program 23% said they are currently involved in a venture of some kind, while 88% reported that they are likely or very likely to become involved in an entrepreneurial venture in the future.

While Purdue’s physical amenities, like its Union and variety of restaurants may attract some students and young adults to the University/area, the University has certainly begun cultivating young talent that has the confidence and resources to act on their own entrepreneurial ventures in many disciplines. The city is certainly not perfect, even my brother is ready to get out after five years. However, spaces like Discovery Park will attract and cultivate the best and brightest entrepreneurial minds, particularly in the science and engineering arenas, and could very well push West Lafayette and Indiana to become a global leader in those arenas, if they aren’t already. If students have ground breaking research and facility/resources to commercialize that research, you can bet they aren’t peacing out after their four years here.

I’ve given West Lafayette and Purdue a bad rap these six years and realize anyone could say the same thing about my beloved East Lansing. The region is way more than farmland and a manufacturing town past its prime. It’s a hotspot for my beloved buzzwords: creativity, innovation and talent. And with its newest investments, it’s only going to get better. East Lansing versus West Lafayette? I can’t decide fairly decide winner but I do declare that neither is a town past its prime… They both are on their way up if they keep up their investments/development!