You're never too young to 'dream, dare, do'

OSPREY — With a growing distrust of government and ever-rising housing costs looming over America's Gen Z generation, confidence in the future continues to lower.

But one rising senior at Pine View School for the Gifted said things can change for the better, and it involves the youth of America, commitment and respect.

Terry Shen, 17, serves Sarasota County while balancing a college-heavy workload and leadership roles in school.

Shen recently attended the 80th American Legion's Boys State in Tallahassee, a program where he was able to participate with nearly 500 other students about issues affecting Floridians.

Shen was chosen as mayor the first day, a member of the board of county commissioners the second day, a senator on the third day and governor on the fourth day.

Shen said leadership roles was not his focus, but finding common ground.

"I don't necessarily believe that the person who goes up there and delivers the best speech will always win, because nothing beats a good relationship," Shen said. "It's me taking the time to get to know people, and I don't do it with the purpose of winning elections. I do it because I really want to know them."

When Shen was announced as the governor of Boys State, the Pine View student said he felt like moving forward together as a society could truly be possible.

"That was a moment where I thought, 'We can do this, we can pass these bills and we can we can get things done,' and now is the time when we can actually come together and debate our bills, have positive discourse and make real change," Shen said.

While speech and debate skills have propelled him to success, Shen said he must credit most of his achievements to his parents.

Shen said his summer experiences have also helped him understand not only the power of a platform but also the privilege of one.

"The reality is, we're all given different skill sets. We all have something we're passionate about, something that we really like, or something that we vehemently dislike," Shen said. "Because I have that platform, I believe it's my duty to stand up and advocate for those around me that might not necessarily have that voice."

Stephen Covert, principal of Pine View, said he's hopeful to see more students like Shen lead society to a better tomorrow.

"In this era of the polarization and politicization of partisan politics, if Terry's representative of this generation, then I think America is in good hands, because that's the standard that he will set," Covert said. "And I hope it's contagious and spreads everywhere, because we need more of that."