Ursuline alum returns to study struggles of Generation Z

By jessica hardin

jhardin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

When Michael Narducci met with Ursuline High School students Friday morning, his aim was twofold.

As a successful Ursuline alumnus, he wanted to share career wisdom. As a television writer known for “Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals,” he wanted to conduct research.

In preparation for his next project – a television series set at a fictional Youngstown school – Narducci stood before students and said, “I want to listen to you. What are the issues that are on your mind?”

Hands immediately went up. Students in Dr. Linda Miller’s classroom were eager to educate Narducci.

When he referred to the students as “millennials,” Angelina Sabatino said, “We’re not technically millennials. We’re Generation Z.”

Students discussed a struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with technology.

“Our phones are something kind of essential nowadays. A lot of our teachers put our assignments strictly online,” Sabatino said.

With the prevalence of social media, peer pressure takes a new form, students said.

“It’s not necessarily like, ‘Here smoke this cigarette.’ It’s like, ‘I’m smoking a cigarette because my friend posted about it,’” Sabatino said.

The group also voiced frustration with the reputation older generations have created for them.

“They see us as lazy,” Sabatino said.

In response to this characterization, the class rattled off the many activities that demand their attention: school, homework, extracurricular activities, jobs and volunteer work.

“When someone asks any of us, ‘What do you do for fun?’ You have to think about it, because there is no time for fun,” said Geordyn Conne.

Travis Saxton noted that being judged as lazy pressures him and his peers to further pack their schedules. “We have the expectation from the older generation that we’re lazy, so we make ourselves busier,” he said.

The setting of Narducci’s new show will provide ample opportunities to explore these teen tensions. It takes place at a struggling local high school and will highlight the relationship between two friends – a principal and a former professional football player.

Narducci described the show as “a tale about these two people who are trying to do right by the next generation.”

In that way, so was Narducci as he talked to the class.

“With empathy and love in your heart, you pay attention and listen, even with people who have a different perspective than you,” Narducci told them.