OCTOBER 3, 2025 | FEATURES | By Megan Neton
I recently said goodbye to my teens, and entered a new decade of my life. For me, birthdays always tend to be a time for reflection: what have I learned in the last year?
This birthday felt different. Not only did I say goodbye to my teens and step into a new decade, but just ten days before, my sister had a baby: Rosemary Jeanine Powers. Welcome to the world Rosie!
During this monumental moment in my sister’s life and in the wake of my birthday, I begin to reminisce on my own childhood and all the things I’ve learned in the last 20 years.
After waiting in the hospital for eight hours on Sept. 16, I got to hold Rosie for the first time, which was an utterly surreal moment. I was looking at her little hand clutched around my pinky finger, and wondering how her life was going to play out.
Rosie is perfect––probably in the same way that all babies are, but perfect nonetheless. When she was in my arms, all I could think about was how such a pure little being had just entered a deeply troubled world.
Rosie is entering an era plagued by diet culture, war, increasing political polarization, and about a hundred other issues. If I could shield her from all of that, I would, but it would also mean that she would miss out on so many of the lovely parts of life: writing letters to Santa, getting a good grade, having your first kiss, discovering your favorite song, eating really good food, and playing card games with the people you love.
I know that I’m still young, but I do think that a lot of life is lived in 20 years (approximately 175,200 hours). My life has, so far, been truly beautiful, and I hope that it continues to be.
Elementary school memories consist of running around in a big grass field for hours after school and the middle school version of me met her best friend in 7th-grade art class. High school was full of prom dresses, studying, football games, and graduating alongside some of my best friends.
Leaving home and coming to CC has been the most rewarding and yet hardest era of my life. I am aware of how incredibly lucky I am to have lived the life I have.
To put it plainly, I am always in awe of what an incredible gift it is to exist. It is a gift to make mistakes, it’s a gift to wake up, it’s a gift to be able to hold my niece, and it’s a gift to get older.
With all of that in mind, I wrote a list of 20 things I’ve learned at 20. Hopefully, someday I’ll get to show Rosie–– when she learns to read, of course.
- All you need to change your life is 20 seconds of insane courage
- There are some things you will want, and you’ll someday be happy you never got them
- Do it for the experience, but get out of the car if an idiot boy is driving
- Invest in a good perfume
- LEAVE YOUR HOMETOWN
- Put $25 into a Roth IRA every month
- Be present (put your phone away)
- Invest in your female friendships
- Keep your space clean
- Hug your parents
- Move your body to clear your mind
- You will get over it
- Always be kind because you never know what is going on in someone else’s life
- Any Rom Com with Julia Roberts is a movie worth watching
- Eat the damn pizza
- JOURNAL
- It’s perfectly normal to care
- Trust your gut & your mom
- Quality over quantity––only a couple good friends are needed
- A spoonful of honey in the mornings will boost your energy