We spoke with 21 young Americans about coming of age in 2021. They are looking ahead with cautious optimism.

Insider Inc.May 28, 2021, 00:10 IST

Michelle Reid; Chuck Marcus; Natalia Seth; Elizabeth Viggiano; Alan Cruz; Joe Martinez; Hannah Michealson; Zanagee Artis

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Today's 21-year-olds have grown up in unprecedented times. They turned one the year the Twin Towers fell and are coming of age during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Now, on the cusp of adulthood and at a moment that should be ripe with possibility for the future, many are looking beyond 2021 with trepidation.

That feeling of uncertainty, exacerbated by the loneliness and stress inflicted by COVID-19, was a common thread across interviews Insider conducted with 21 Americans who are either currently 21 years old or will be turning 21 in 2021.

Many of them left their college campuses during their senior years, while others stayed and were separated from family. Amid the partial breakdown of their social support systems, they had to manage mental-health challenges like never before.

A Harvard survey conducted in October found that 61% of adults ages 18 to 25 reported serious, increasing loneliness during the pandemic. Rates of mental illness among young adults are rising, too. A survey by Active Minds, a nonprofit focused on mental health for young adults, found that half of older teens and young adults screened positive for anxiety and depression in fall 2020.

"We know that in both a broad sense and in terms of actual mental-health conditions, young adults are struggling," said Laura Horne, the chief program officer at Active Minds.

Young adults weren't having the easiest time before the pandemic either: They've reported mental-health problems at greater rates every year. But COVID-19 has added a new dimension to an already turbulent period of transition. Nearly 63% of young adults surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2020 had symptoms of anxiety or depression that they attributed to the pandemic. Almost a quarter reported that they were abusing alcohol, marijuana, or prescription drugs to cope with their emotions.

Out of the chaos of the pandemic, many of the young people who spoke with Insider also found positives and new ways to connect, from Zoom hangouts to "Animal Crossing." Quarantine hobbies such as nurturing plants and baking bread kept them sane.

"For some people, they've really tapped into a lot of resilience and have embraced more of a growth mindset about the last year," said Lindsey Mortenson, a psychiatrist and the interim executive director of health services at the University of Michigan."But for others, I think they have really felt stymied and stuck, almost like their life has been put on pause for the past year, and that's been really hard."

Horne said she's seen more students consider taking a break, whether that's a semester off from school or deferring postgraduate plans. The flexibility of the past year has been a silver lining for some, and it's something many young people hope to hold on to post-pandemic.

Therapist Tess Brigham told Insider that, long before the pandemic, she has always counseled young people to shed their expectations so they don't "miss the magic that's happening all around us." That advice was thrust on this generation: the 21-year-olds Insider spoke to had no choice but to let go of their plans. Many, however, say it's given them a renewed sense of purpose.

"If young people can really hold on to this and see this as a way of being resilient, this could be incredibly powerful for their generation. It's really on how you decide to look at it," Brigham said. "It's all about allowing yourself to feel sad and grieve and and feel all the feelings, and then being able to say, 'Okay, how do I process this and use this to help me?'"

- Mia de Graaf and Andrea Michelson

Aden Stern, music artist and producer

Artist and producer Aden Stern has spent the past year focusing on creating music and releasing new projects. David Cohn

Alan Cruz, social justice advocate

Alan Cruz, a son of Mexican immigrants and a person with Marfan syndrome, hopes to attend law school after graduating from the University of Nevada. Saeed Rahbaran for Insider

Alise Maxie, civil rights activist

In spite of her social anxiety, Alise Maxie found herself spurred into action during the pandemic and organized marches for civil rights. Callaghan O'Hare for Insider

Celine Hoang, international affairs student

Celine Hoang says the pandemic helped change her perspective on what truly matters in life. "Working super hard doesn't matter to me as much anymore as long as I'm stable," she told Insider. Kristie Valerie Hoang

Chris Narishkin, "Minecraft" builder

Chris Narishkin said he is still learning to balance his heavy workload while earning money in "Minecraft." For a while, he was paying off his student loans with earnings from the game, but he said he's had to take a step back from "Minecraft" since his classes have intensified. Joe Martinez for Insider

Haile Thomas, food and lifestyle influencer

After having a breakdown near the beginning of the pandemic, Haile Thomas turned to cooking to heal and restore. Natalia Seth; Alexsey Reyes

Hannah Michelson, costume designer

Hannah Michelson says she's made a lot of mental progress since 2020 by focusing on what brings her joy. Caylyn Downey

Khibri Habtemariam, filmmaker

Khibri Habtemariam, 21, majors in film and minors in African American studies at Georgia State University. He had lots of plans - and doggedly persisted with them despite the pandemic. Chuck Marcus for Insider

Kinsey Ratzman, artist and disability advocate

By Andrea Michelson

Things were going well for Kinsey Ratzman in March 2020.

The Mount Holyoke College student, 21, had just wrapped up a weekend of doing publicity for a Model UN tournament hosted at her western Massachusetts school, sent in at least 20 applications for summer internships, and was balancing a campus job on top of everything.

She was getting her credits together for a double degree in politics and studio art, with an additional concentration in media and journalism.

But coming off that weekend, everything changed. First Amherst College, a sister school to Ratzman's, said it was shutting down because of the pandemic. A few days later, other schools in western Massachusetts followed suit. Eventually, on March 10, Mount Holyoke announced that campus would close the following week.

Ratzman remembers the refrain at the start of the pandemic: Yes, schools are closing, but COVID-19 was a disease that affected the frail and elderly, not the young and healthy. There's no need to worry.

But Ratzman has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects connective tissue, causing problems throughout the body. The assumption that all young people are healthy and can't be harmed by the coronavirus rubbed her the wrong way from the start — and the pandemic has continued to reveal people's prejudices.

Ratzman has been managing symptoms of EDS, which progressively worsens over time, since she was 12.

While she's been hospitalized before, things took a turn for the worse in fall 2020. Her symptoms flared up and she needed a surgical feeding tube, as opposed to the nasal ones she's had in the past.

Ultimately, she had to take medical leave from school: The stress of navigating the healthcare system while going through an accelerated, remote semester was too much to manage.

If you are an immunocompromised, disabled, or chronically ill person versus someone who is not, it's two different pandemics.

Being stuck in the hospital without a bed because it was so crowded with COVID-19 patients felt maddening, especially as her classmates — even her good friends — posted Instagram Stories at parties.

"If you are an immunocompromised, disabled, or chronically ill person versus someone who is not, it's two different pandemics," Ratzman said. "My Instagram is all people hanging out and partying, and these are normal, morally conscious people. It's just like two different worlds."

While many of her peers could bend the rules of quarantine, Ratzman retreated, moving into her parents' house in New Jersey with little social contact outside of "Animal Crossing." The social isolation has only made things harder.

"Already, the only way people get through college is by leaning on each other," Ratzman said. In the pandemic, "you don't have those little moments of support."

Although the strain on Ratzman's mental health is heavier than ever, she finally has the resources to manage it. Her insurance made telehealth therapy free during the pandemic, and she was finally able to get a diagnosis from a psychiatrist.

"It's like I've been the most mentally healthy but also the worst off with everything else at the same time."

Ratzman is not the only person who's had a hard time keeping up.

"Every single person I know at my school who's chronically ill struggled," Ratzman said. "Most of us didn't end up doing the full year, or had to drop a class here and there. It was not good."

With vaccines being rolled out, there's a general feeling of getting back to "normal," with schools ready to reopen. For Ratzman, it's like whiplash.

"I sometimes feel like I'm going crazy because I'm like, 'I would love for things to be normal like that, but what world are you living in?'"

Map Pesqueira, film buff and aspiring political leader

Pesqueira said that when the ban first went into effect, he described it as being led into a room by a body of people. "It was a very dark room, and they just turned around and left me there and shut the door on me," he said. Cindy Elizabeth for Insider

Raymellia Jones, dancer and fitness instructor

The mental and physical release of Jones' dance practice became even more critical in summer 2020 when the movement against police brutality reached a fever pitch. Akilah Townsend for Insider

Reneé Rapp, actress and singer

A lot has changed in the year without theater, and reopenings should reflect the reckoning many Americans have had with issues such as race and diversity, Reneé Rapp said. Elizabeth Viggiano for Insider

Sally Ziskind, photographer

After vowing to take care of her mental health, Ziskind leaned into her passion for photography and her job at Target keep her spirits up. Sally Ziskind Photography

Sherenté Mishitashin Harris, Indigenous leader and powwow dancer

Sherenté Mishitashin Harris, a student at Brown University, plans to continue amplifying Indigenous voices after they graduate. Roberto A. Jackson

Sneha Sharma, intercultural relations specialist

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Soi Lee, visual artist

Soi Lee used her art to honor Breonna Taylor as well as the Asian American community. "I'm really interested in and passionate about social justice. I think art, for me, is a language to express," she said. Courtesy of Soi Lee

Tal Simon, music producer

Like millions of other Americans, music producer Tal Simon lost his job due to the pandemic. But after taking some time to reflect, he was able to center himself in creating music. Nathan Bajar

Tanaya West, interpersonal communication enthusiast

Tanaya West, a Baruch College student and travel lover, is looking forward to jetting off and exploring the world when it's safe enough. Maliah West

Tianna Arata, Black Lives Matter activist

Tianna Arata was arrested at a protest she organized on July 21, 2020, and was released the same night. Less than a month later, she gained national attention. Bethany Mollenkof for Insider

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, climate activist and hip-hop artist

The past year has been difficult but transformative for Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a climate activist and hip-hop artist. He's been able to cope with everything by connecting with other young Indigenous people, relearning Nahuatl, and growing plants. Cindy Ord/Getty Images; Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post, Getty Images

Zanagee Artis, climate action advocate

Brown University student Zanagee Artis hopes to take Zero Hour, his climate-crisis campaign group, to new heights in the near future. Nick Dentamaro/Brown University; Zanagee Artis

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Story Editors: Mia de Graaf, Brea Cubit, Ariel Schwartz, Rachel Greenspan, Ben Goggin, Julia Hood, and Julie Zeveloff West

Copy Editor: Shakeema Edwards

Photo Editor: Hollis Johnson

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