Very much his own man at the age of 5.
Very much his own man at the age of 15.
Very much his own man at 5 years.
For the past 12 years, I have enjoyed Liam as his "grandmother-in-training" since he was 3.
Last month we had a free-wheeling talk exploring his first year experience in a new school
and his views as a "strategic" member of the Generation Z...
ending up with smoke meat sandwiches and all the trimmings at the Snowdon Deli!
Ask Liam how he would define himself, he will tell you, “I’m a strategic thinker.”
He is able to create distance between himself and the situation he’s in and ask himself,
“What’s the best decision I can take - within the limits of a given frame work -
that will give me as close as possible what will benefit my needs.”
What I find special about Liam, is that his decisions that are made in search of excellence
are always in a frame of what is fair and respect for others.
When you went to search a high school that was right for you, what were you looking for?
I was mostly looking for a school that would strengthen the skills that I already had and where I could meet new people. I definitely wanted somewhere strong in math, science, physics and some sports...a school that was human.
You came to Royal Vale, a big sprawling high school, after 8 years in a small intimate Waldorf school.
What were the biggest challenges you were faced with?
Getting used to the flow of things and time management.
When it came to getting used to the flow of things, that was something i got mostly from observation.
When it came to time management, my main strategy was to listen in class...unlike most people,
This allowed me do my homework in class as soon as I could.
And the same held for all my projects.
This freed up more time after school for other things that interest me –especially being with friends.”
What part has family played in shaping your attitude to life and people?
All my attitudes and everything that I’ve learnt have all been shaped by my parents.
I’m lucky to have really good parents who appreciate me and love me.
But along with my parents, my brother and my friends are the ones who have shaped me as well,
the ones who have made me who I am today. I think it’s the same way with a lot of people.
How do these elements play a role in your life: Experience, Music, Aspirations,
Experience
What I learn from my experiences shapes my development.
Experiences being everything from learning in a classroom to smoking weed with friends.
Everything from humor to how I voice my thought and opinions.
Actually, everyone whom you’re around influences you in some way.
Music
Music is also important to me. I spent a lot of time listening to music.
Mostly Rap with a LOT of explicit concepts and stuff.
But I enjoy it and it sounds good.
Don’t try to tell me differently. I know it’s inappropriate. I’ve heard that already.
Where do your aspirations come from?
They come from wanting to be like others who have succeeded in the fields in which I’m interested, whatever they may be.
For instance, I love baseball and I’m interested in playing pro baseball.
That’s what led me to take up umpiring.
It’s a fun activity. I get to learn from watching others umpire the game, And then I give back this experience,
I make money too and I get to pick my hours too, There aren’t many downsides.
But in the final analysis, it’s about the kids baseball experience.
I try to make my umpiring as fair as possible so that their baseball experience is an enjoyable one.
You’ve been very close to your younger brother who is 3 years younger than you.
Do you share your experiences of leading life as a teenager with him?
I didn’t really tell my bro much about getting older because your personal experiences make you - or at least what you take from them.
Even the negative teaches. Especially the negative actually. Failure teaches.
My brother might be grateful in the short term for the warnings,
But should the situation come up again when he’s older, he might forget the warning.
And then the advice won’t stick with him because he was told about the issue in question instead of being taught or experiencing it.
What role do traveling and sports play in your life?
At my age, sports is the opposite of traveling, since it’s getting better at what you already know instead of learning new things.
I find it a good escape from the pressures of society and what you’re expected to do.
You just bring your best and perform.
Where does your generation play in the way you look at certain societal issues such as climate change and the near future?
We view the problems that our whole world is facing, such as climate change, as a new challenge. We are looking for ways to combat the problems so that, as the new generation, we can live our life in the way that our childhood has been: where we don’t wake up one day to find a totally different world than the one that we were brought into.
Any future goals developing?
Not really. I’m just focused on the present.
I’d really like to be a sports player but to be honest I have no clue what I want to do or what I want to achieve.
Since the school I go to now specializes in sciences and math,
I think that sciences or physics is something that I might be interested in.
But there’s just so much life to be lived and I don’t see a need to waste any of it focusing on the future.
I have a lot of time left before I decide what I want to do, and I am enjoying that for as long as I can.
For me it’s all about what’s happening now!"
A grandmother has the last word!
"Generation Z is the base from which future leaders are going to come.
Present young leaders of today have a powerful sense of self, the base for clear and future-aware decision making.
Liam has that powerful sense of self...in a frame of excellence, fairness and respect.
Trust me. A grandmother knows!"
