My freshman year, I took a standard University Foundation class that's required at Boise State. After all the material, the one thing I learned from that class is every generation thought that 90s babies were screwed. The babies from the 2000s got common core and were sheltered. The generation before us lived through the 90s, the 2000s, and now they are raising children of their own. Here we are, most of us graduating or graduated from college and everyone looks at us like we are screwed, but as it turns out...we aren’t.

1. We had to play outside.

We didn’t get to sit on a couch and play Call of Duty, we had to go outside and play hide-and-seek or fugitive. This means that all of us were in high school when Play 60 started, so clearly we aren’t to blame for the laziness of America. We were rough and tumble, went through shoe laces like nobody’s business. We were strong and that really benefited us, because now we are the generation of gym rats and health freaks.

2. We adapted to technology.

Everyone says that the kids of the 2000s have a higher technology tolerance, this may be true, but let’s not forget who made Twitter popular. That would be the 90s kids. Technology grew as we grew, which means we had to adapt to it. This gives us way higher job skills than someone who was born with an iPhone 5 in their hand. We also have a better understanding of how a desktop computer works, even though they are almost insignificant.

3. We learned hard life lessons from TV shows.

We had TV shows like Hannah Montana and Boy Meets world where they addressed the tough things. Like the episode where Shawn hides the girl who was being abused by her father. Or the episode when Miley got a credit card and you learned very quickly that credit cards are basically evil if you have even the slightest addiction to shopping or food. These shows really addressed the things most people don’t talk about now and gave us more of an open mind to what is going on in the real world.

4.We have seen a lot of celebrities fall.

We were there to see Britney Spears have her meltdown, to see Miley go all crazy, and we learned a very important lesson: fame and pressure can break you or it can make you. We also saw a lot of people come back from their falls, like Demi Lovato who created “Love is louder than the pressure to be perfect.” And this really gave us a better understanding of how life can get you down but you can always rise above.

5. We saw America go through a lot.

We were alive when the Twin Towers fell. We have seen the damage America can do to other countries. When the American government and military was bombing Iraq, we were learning about the bombings in Cuba and China. We were there when America was in a recession and we learned the value of money. We got it drilled into our heads every day when we said the Pledge of Allegiance that America was the land of the free and home of the brave.

6. We have a better understanding of what America needs.

We have actively walked in Women’s Rights March, participated in Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, stood by refugees, and have seen one of the most historical elections back to back. We watched a president who gave America nothing but compassion and hope. Then we watched a total 180 happen and here we are. It’s the 90s generation that stands in an airport for hours on end, that get up on a Saturday to walk for women’s rights, and it is our generation that will be next in line to take over this country.

7.We are the generation of Netflix and chill, and that actually taught us a hard lesson about love.

Even though Netflix and chill is still a thing, most people are over it. It really just taught girls that when a guy wants to just Netflix and chill on the first date, he’s probably a jerk. That's his way of not having to do anything but still acting like he is taking you on a date. Then these guys came out of nowhere who post heart-melting photos of their girlfriends and girls started to get the clue. As it turns out, our generation is actually capable of being in love.

8. We are also the generation of parents with a high divorce rate.

In elementary school, it wasn’t uncommon for someone to announce during snack time that their parents were getting a divorce. It stopped being shocking, and you realized that you didn’t actually need to share your snack with them because you felt so bad. And now we are searching for true love ourselves. Marriages are lasting longer and we have developed more compassion for each other.

9. We are determined.

Throughout school, we were told that America was behind on education. No child left behind was created. Then somehow being told we are actually screwed turned into being successful. We actually aren’t screwed, we just haven’t had a lot of people that believed in us. But here we are, changing America.