2000 to 2023: The Shared Life of the Class of 2023

Story by Emily Derrenbacker Design by Venus Turnbull

While everyone in the class of 2023 has lived different lives all over the world and brought their unique backgrounds to Stetson, most of us were born around the same time and are now finishing our college educations in 2023. From birth to graduation, we are united through our shared experiences. Thus, here’s a timeline of all the events, trends, and movements that have shaped the lives of the graduating class of 2023.

2001: The Terrorist Attack on the Twin Towers

Since the tragic attack on the twin towers over twenty years ago, an entire generation was born. This year’s graduating seniors were not only the last grade to be born before this happened, but also the first group to not remember what life was like before. None of us had flown on a plane before airport security was dramatically increased. None of us remember seeing the date 9/11 and not thinking about the tragedy that happened. All of our parents and older siblings remember exactly where they were when the first tower fell, but we were only a few months old.

2007: The Release of the First iPhone

The first iPhone was released in June 2007. This specific release did not greatly affect the class of 2023 as we were only six or seven at the time, but it certainly altered the trajectory of our childhood. Growing up, the extent that technology controlled our lives was that all the cool kids in elementary school had a DS, and we all played Wii bowling on the weekends. As we got older, we moved from Webkinz to Club Penguin and we listened to music on mp3 players and iPod Nanos. The world changed for us around the time we were entering middle school and it seemed like everyone had an iPod Touch. With the iPod Touch and the new iPhone came Instagram, which effectively created a new world. It seems like as we grew older, our lives became more and more entrenched in technology, but our early years were not quite so dominated by it.

2008- Financial Crisis

For many of us, while we didn’t understand what was happening when the economy crashed in 2008, we felt its impact. It was the months after this happened when we started noticing how our parents were struggling. Now, as we prepare to graduate and enter the workforce, talks of recession and the lingering effects of the pandemic are what concern everyone about future prospects. But these concerns are present among Gen Z more generally.

According to a survey by Deloitte in 2022, “A third of Gen Z respondents worry about the cost of living above all other concerns; 45% live paycheck to paycheck, and just more than a quarter doubt they’ll retire comfortably.”

2012: YouTube and the Rise of the Influencer

YouTube was first launched in 2005, but it had the most impact on our lives when we were preteens. Social media was still growing back then, but it was YouTube that gave birth to the rise of influencing as a lucrative profession. This era was also dominated by fangirls. There is no one more dedicated to a cause than young girls were to One Direction, MAGCON, O2L, and other groups.

2016: The Presidential Election

The 2016 presidential election was probably the first presidential election where we actually understood how politics works. We were only sophomores in high school this year, and all of a sudden it was like we were bombarded with every adult’s opinion. This election was so divisive and was a constant topic of conversation. We became aware of issues like climate change, gun control, and immigration. I think it’s safe to call this election the beginning of Gen Z’s political consciousness. The effects of the 2016 election are still felt today and shaping how Gen Z approaches politics.

2020: COVID-19

The graduating class of 2023 clearly remembers the days between when we found out about the pandemic to when we went home for the semester. It was an odd time, nobody really knew what was going on. Most of us watched as other universities closed and waited for Stetson to do the same. On March 12, President Libby announced all classes would take place online, and one by one students decided to go home to their families while a few remained. When we returned the next semester in the fall, life as we knew it at Stetson was entirely different. We all spent endless hours in our rooms without roommates. Every club meeting and event took place online, and professors and students alike struggled to navigate the new online world. Exposure sent students to hotels. Everyone became tired of hearing the word “unprecedented.” The class of 2023 is the only class left that remembers what Stetson was like before the pandemic changed all the rules.

It’s hard to be thankful for how COVID-19 affected our lives, but I will always be grateful that it didn’t affect graduation (high school or college). Our grade fell into the perfect spot where we enjoyed our senior year of high school and our first semester of college before the world was shut down. But it still affected our college experience. Just as we were settling into college and had finally made friends and joined clubs, we lost all of it.

Stetson senior Lindsey Richmond ‘23 added, “COVID-19 drastically affected my years at Stetson. I saw the lively activity and student life die down to near desertion my sophomore year. I’m glad to see it’s coming back now, but I’m sad that it is as late as my senior year.”

2020: Chris Roellke Becomes Stetson’s 10th President

This year’s graduates are the only students left who remember Wendy Libby as president and felt the transition between her and President Roellke. Effective July 1, 2020, three months into the pandemic, Chris Roellke became Stetson’s 10th president. Throughout his time here, students have spotted him crossing Woodland or stopping at tables outside the CUB to say hello. President Roellke has had a very open approach to the job. He has willingly done two interviews with “The Reporter,” and few students would say he’s not present on campus, which is a pleasant change compared to how things used to be.

2023: Graduation

The graduating class of 2023 is large and diverse. We all didn’t experience these events the same way, and we all had different reactions to them. Despite this, we were all shaped by them. These events covered over 20 years of our lives, but it’s interesting to think about how we will barely remember some of them in another 20 years. Even though after our graduation on May 6 many of us will never cross paths again, in the grand scheme of our lives, we will certainly continue to be shaped by more events and share in that experience.