Any counsel to the stand out class of 2026 is rather simple: In the face of the wickedness of the times, stop, reflect and question. Have recourse to God and the Blessed Mother. One cannot be outstanding without grace, which makes up for shortcomings and leads to Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Many classes have come and gone over the years, but the one thing that stands out about the Class of 2026 is that it stands out.
Some defining characteristics of the stand-out class of 2026 make it different and special. Of course, not all Gen Z graduates stand out; most do not. But enough of them do take positions that make the whole class stand out.
What It Takes to Stand Out
Before this class starts to feel puffed up by the generous description of their stand-out class as different and special, it is good to make a distinction: there are two ways in which a person can stand out.
The first is when a person accomplishes something extraordinary and excellent. The brilliance of his action provides a contrast with ordinary things, which sets the person apart and above all others. The person stands out.
The other way is not as spectacular. It consists of an individual who feels uncomfortable in the face of a situation that he cannot control. He experiences insecurity in this position and does not want to go along with the others.
As a result, he stands there rooted and immobile. It may not seem like much, but people notice this immobility. This person also stands out.
Thus, some people stand out by what they do. Others stand out by what they do not do. The first group can be called outstanding, while the second just stands out.
This class of 2026 has all the insecurities of standing out but also the potential to be outstanding. Its graduates must choose which path they will soon take.
The Hand They Were Dealt
On the side of standing out, it must be admitted that the class of 2026 has plenty of reasons to be insecure. Its members have been dealt a rough hand.
Just consider that other classes had the temptation of glowing careers and optimistic futures; this one enters a period of economic turmoil, inflation and debt. Still others were told to embrace the technology of the future; this class finds that the AI future might absorb their jobs.
What makes matters worse for this generation is the lack of stable family, faith and community institutions to support them. Like prior generations, including the Boomers, Gen Z is a broken generation where many members live chaotic and often immoral lives.
And all this causes in them an instability when confronting an increasingly brutal and immoral world that calls upon them to submit and not stand out.
However, what makes them different is that instead of submitting, they stop and question. This pause leaves many just standing there, unsure what to do.
Rejecting AI
Nowhere is this position more evident than in this class’s attitude toward AI. The controversy is raging across campuses and commencement ceremonies this spring.
In the past, each new generation has been asked to embrace the incoming technology with enthusiasm and optimism. They were told they are in a privileged position to cash in on the new opportunities that will be opened up.
But the stand-out class of 2026 is questioning and even booing speakers who claim it as an unqualified advantage. This rejection is something new. One poll finds that only 18% of Gen Z report feeling “hopeful” about AI. Seventy percent fear losing future jobs. A majority have no enthusiasm for AI. In response, they just stand there, standing out.
It is not only in the field of AI that this questioning occurs; Gen Z also questions other aspects of postmodern life: the nature of relationships, the search for meaning, the brutality of treatment and the lack of religion. This causes great anguish in their souls.
Positive and Negative Effects
Indeed, standing out can have two effects. It has the positive effect of stopping the revolutionary dynamism inside souls. But it can trigger a counter-revolutionary reaction inside their souls. In this case, too, it helps them.
Standing out can also cause negative effects. It can facilitate putting off decisions, “adulting” or immaturity. Standing out is lonely. It creates insecurity and anxieties. It can cause a mania for social media validation. It can lead to self-aggrandizement, spectacular failures and loss of self-confidence. Thus, it can be negative and brutal.
Thus, the Class of 2026 faces significant challenges as it stands out amid the trials plaguing the generation. However, it has taken the first step that can lead to the next.
Being Outstanding
The Class of 2026 is called to do more than stand out; they are called to be outstanding. It is in a privileged position to do so.
The loneliness of standing out has triggered a search for meaning among many Gen Zers. In the midst of their standing around, they search for something that will give purpose to their disordered lives.
Despite their incredibly chaotic pasts and bad habits, some of them are touched by grace and are changing their lives and converting to the Catholic faith.
Their spectacular conversion stories indicate they are in a process of going from standing out to becoming outstanding. These are not ordinary conversions but a willingness to take their faith to its final consequences. They seek out the most far-reaching expressions of beauty, truth and love of God, not the mediocrity of synodality and pseudo-social justice.
This trend is no secret. Everyone is talking about it. The so-called quiet revival is loudly sweeping the country.
Those who are receiving this grace still need to take the next step of engaging in the fight for the faith, but they have advanced admirably on the path to the outstanding.
Counsels
Thus, any counsel to the stand out class of 2026 is rather simple. There is no need to enter into complicated formulas and maxims that most forget anyway.
The first counsel is to keep standing out in a positive sense. That is to say, in the face of the wickedness of the times, stop, reflect and question. Analyze and understand the problems to better fight against them.
The second counsel is to keep pursuing the outstanding. Resist the temptation to mediocrity that is satisfied with the ordinary. Be outstanding, always seeking the highest expression of whatever you do.
And the final counsel is to be aware that no one can stand out or be outstanding alone. Have recourse to God and the Blessed Mother. One cannot be outstanding without grace, which makes up for shortcomings and leads to Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
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The featured image is “Professor Karl Warburg” (1905), by Richard Bergh. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license., courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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