Saturday afternoon, James and I took advantage of the exceptionally nice weather and walked from our home to the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison campus. Homecoming weekend was underway, and the city’s energy was contagious. We were going to grab a late lunch and meander around. All that was perfect in and of itself. But we were soon to discover something else that was uplifting and oh so very noticeable.
As we neared Monona Terrace, we encountered several high school-age students. They were all dressed smartly. The guys wore suits, and the young women wore stylish dresses, each carrying sprays of colorful flowers. Adults snapped pictures as poses were struck. As we walked the Capitol Square, I stopped to enquire what was happening. It was homecoming weekend for Sauk Prairie High School, and part of the weekend fun was spending an afternoon in the heart of Madison. For the next several hours, I noticed them interspersed with the rest of the energized city, filled with laughter and smiles, enjoying the excitement of youth as they stood near the edge of adulthood. As they blended into the city’s charm, they also stood out. In all the best ways.
We know that, overall, teenagers will always be teenagers. They can be loud, silly, and occasionally oblivious to the world around them. And that is normal.
But what stood out about these high school students was not only how naturally they blended into the city’s rhythm, but how mature they were. I heard no swearing and witnessed no behavior that would have made a parent wince. Instead, they carried themselves in a way that made me think (while on the rooftop of the Overture Center For The Arts) they might be seeing themselves in a few years as students at the university, living in this urban environment. Back on State Street, I saw a few of them drinking coffee at an outdoor cafe, and I had to smile and think that any mom or dad would have felt a quiet pride as these young pople represented their families and community so well.
This group of people truly impressed me.
Something deeper was at work, too; I strongly suspect. Sauk City is not far from Madison geographically, but a meaningful difference remains between rural life and city life. Madison offers opportunities, cultures, careers, the university, and a bevy of experiences that can feel distant when viewed from a small-town perspective. (I understand well, as I grew up in Hancock, with a population under 500, and the trips I took to Madison as a teenager were memorable and meaningful.) I strongly suspect many of those students were imagining themselves studying here, working here, building a life here, or simply becoming comfortable navigating a larger world.
That matters because young people need to see their futures up close. A visit to Madison is not merely an afternoon excursion. It is a glimpse of possibility. It tells a teenager that opportunities are not reserved for someone else. They are theirs, too, if they choose to pursue them.
On a perfect autumn weekend, the future was walking through Madison, dressed up, smiling, and full of hope. I am still smiling this Sunday morning as I write this column.
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