Welcome to the Striving to Thriving Youth Quote Library. Here you’ll find a curated collection of more than 5,700 quotes from young people ages 15-22 living in communities across the United States. In the library you can see how young people describe their multifaceted identities, how they understand and apply meaning to language around job, work and career, how they think about and assign value to relationships, networking and connections, and their future goals and the education and career choices they believe will lead them there. You can also view additional notes on curation, categories and filters.
“Being able to switch and be flexible with your career – I didn’t write down flexible. I put that for job, but I totally agree with you on flexibility because my aunt, she was a therapist or something and she is like I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to sell jewelry now. So she switched over and started making her own jewelry.”
“Debt is a huge factor and the major I had might not make enough to comfortably pay it off.”
“It was very hard being a pregnant teenager and then getting the diagnosis that my son has autism. I dealt with everything very hard at first.”
“Because my personal opinion, I wouldn’t want to do something for 20 years and then figure out I don’t like it.”
“Yes, it gave me more opportunities of different things around and different environments.”
[By age 45] “I see myself with a family, kids – them being my main concern. I feel like I am still going to have my professional and be stable with a house and everything.”
“Labor.”
“I am starting off in high school and then college. I kind of want to go to an Ivy League. If not, then a predominantly Black college. Then law school and then become a lawyer. Still be a lawyer but an entrepreneur and start my family also. After that.. maybe, just maybe a Supreme Court judge. After that I will retire, and the last thing I will do is travel.”
“I’m put male, Mexican American plus Salvadorian, Hispanic, and then I go, I grew up Catholic, but I go to a Christian church right now.”
[A job] “coworkers. I don’t like coworkers. Some are just nice and easy going and you get along with, and then you have that one coworker where they are just…They are extra special. They are so overly dramatic; they make a big thing for something so small and then they get mad. There is drama everywhere you go, though.”