View From The Class of 2011

If you're worried about the problems facing society today, help is on the way.

The leaders of the class of 2011 say the task is daunting, but they believe things will get better and it will be their generation that will provide the solutions.

"We're very bright. We're a smart generation," says Kyle Berry, a graduating senior at San Ramon Valley High. "There's a lot of hope for the future. It will be one of us that will give the other generations the wake-up call."

"I think (the problems) are hitting us a lot harder," adds Brittany Ward, a 2011 California High grad. "We have a little more of a push than previous generations to make a difference."

Patch talked with five youngsters graduating from San Ramon Valley high schools —four in person and one via email — to get their perspective on the world they are about to enter.

The seniors say their generation has seen a lot already from the 2001 terrorist attacks to the economic meltdown to natural disasters such as this year's tsunami in Japan.

They believe the key to their success will be their generation's emphasis on education and the fact that so many of them are going to college.

"A lot more people are getting college educations," says Jega Vigneshwaran, a Dougherty Valley High graduate who is headed to U.C. Berkeley. "They're getting a more worldly perspective on issues."

"I think we're going to be coming up with ideas that people haven't seen before," says Nitin Yenigalla, student body vice president at California High. "We have innovative leaders. We'll go a long way."

"I feel that we are headed in the right direction," writes Shaun Chaudhuri, a Monte Vista High graduate who will attend Harvard. "We are learning from our past mistakes and we are advancing into a new age full of innovation and change."

Members of the class of 2011 acknowledge that they will need all the talent and ability they can muster, especially when it comes to the job market.

They are aware the economy is tough, but they are already taking steps to put themselves in a good position when they get out of college.

Vigneshwaran, the president of Dougherty Valley's speech and debate club, plans to major in mechanical engineering and then obtain a law degree.

"In a really competitive work force, I'll be able to stand out more," he says.

Yenigalla will attend U.C. Riverside and wants to transfer to UCLA. He plans to have a double major in bio-medicine and business. He says members of his generation may have to be patient, taking a lower-level job and working their way up or moving to another region of the country.

"I think there will be jobs but they won't be easy to come by," he says.

Berry, a football and track athlete at San Ramon Valley, will attend Texas Christian University partly because the economy is better in Dallas than in the Bay Area. He also plans to major in business and then go to law school.

"It can't hurt to have a law degree," he says.

The grads are aware that they have grown up in a "bubble" in the San Ramon Valley, with a lot of things given to them.

"It's not all like San Ramon and Danville out there," says Ward, a lacrosse and soccer player at Cal High who will play lacrosse at U. C. Berkeley. "We're going to have to fight our own battles without our parents there."

"This community has prepared us for the work force but not for the real world," adds Yenigalla.

The class of 2011 sees other serious issues beyond the economy. The environment and climate change are at the top of the agenda.

"The Earth is experiencing some drastic changes," writes Chaudhuri, the president of Monte Vista's chess and science clubs and captain of its tennis team.  "Climate change will disrupt several natural cycles and cause mayhem within the human race."

Vigneshwaran notes that climate change will be important in many policy decisions his generation will make, including the need for this country to develop fuel sources other than oil.

"You can't help but notice there is climate change," says Berry. "However, our generation is very bright. There is a lot of hope for the future. People will start solving the problems."

The teenagers also feel the war in Afghanistan has gone on too long. Most of them say they supported the invasion after the 2001 attacks, but that we have "overstayed" our mission.

"The problem is once you get in there, then you realize how long it's going to take and by then it's too late," says Vigneshwaran.

Chaudhuri says he thinks our focus should be here at home.

"I think the U.S. should be more concerned with dealing with domestic problems before intervening in foreign affairs," he writes.

"Our leaders don't recognize how much the general public has to cover for the mistakes that we make," Ward adds.

Other issues also on the minds of the graduating seniors.

Yenigalla says his generation is going to have to pay for a lot of programs, especially the rising cost of Social Security.

Vigneshwaran sees health care as one of the nation's biggest hurdles. He says universal health care has worked in other countries and that the United States needs to find a way to make it work here.

Berry says our rising debt is dragging down the economy, keeping it from rebounding.

"The economy needs to get fixed. We have to find ways to stimulate it," he says. "We can't keep going down this road."

Despite the problems waiting for them, the 2011 graduates are looking forward to being independent, making their own decisions and tackling issues that previous generations have failed to solve.

"There's always a worry," says Yenigalla, "but we'll find a way to get through it."