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To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article titled “When you grow up,” published in your newspaper on March 24. It is true, children are often asked what they want to be when they grow up. This is also the case for young adults. However, the average college student cannot go a week without being asked a question that closely resembles “what do you want to be when you grow up?” as if that defines who they are.

College aged individuals, ages 18 to 22, are more likely to give you a practical answer to that question based on societal, personal and environmental factors that have shaped how they see themselves and their accomplishments. You hear more answers like a computer engineer, an elementary school teacher, a pediatrician, etc. For some, college is not even on their radar; they may just want to be wealthy enough to get by.

At this age, we have experienced more of the world than we did as children and can see our impact on the world around us. As a result, this outlook begins to shape how we view the world and what choices we make because of it.

Regardless of your answer to the questions “what do you want to be when you grow up” or “who do you want to be when you grow up,” the key factor is to truly pour yourself into whatever it is that you decide to do and be.

A better question to truly create a good society that supports one another would be, “what are you willing to do to become the person you desire to be, doing the things that you desire to do?” Then and only then will you truly know what, who, and how you will be when you grow up.

Paris Eley

Suffolk