Some weeks back, I had the pleasure of interviewing Natalie Du Bord, one of our graduating seniors at City Church. In what has been a strange year, I wanted to get the perspective from someone who belonged to the remarkable Class of 2020, a graduating class I’ve come to admire more and more. I left the meeting floored by our conversation. Our conversation covered the positive and negative ways seniors are processing our current pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, Gen Z, and her advice for graduating students.

Read the full interview transcribed below. I know you’ll find it, as I did, chock-full of insight and hope. And if you are a graduating senior this year, could you reach out to me a (via email at joshua@citychurchsf.org)? We’d love to honor you with a graduation gift - a very small way we can celebrate you here at City Church.

Peace,

Joshua Jalandoon
Director of Youth Ministry

Joshua: Thanks so much for taking time to do this interview. I’m excited to do this as a way to let you and other graduating seniors at City Church know that we’re thinking about you guys and want to celebrate your accomplishments in what has been a wild year. So for our audience, could you start out by stating your name, what high school you attend, and how long your family has been coming to City Church for?

Natalie: My name Natalie Du Bord. I go to International High School. And I’ve been coming to City Church with my family since 2012.

Joshua: Cool. And what are your passions? Any hobbies, extra-curricular activities or sports you’re involved in?

Natalie: Yes! Quite a few. Probably too many. [Laughs] I did 4 years of varsity soccer and varsity tennis. I was a part of the theatre company at my school this year. I ran our annual fundraising concert Songs for Senegal. And I also ran our fashion internship that we have an affiliation with a non-profit in Paris, Arts of Fashion. And then I have clubs, but those aren’t as exciting.

Joshua: Whoa. That’s a lot! I know you mentioned sports, what was it like having those seasons prematurely cut off?

Natalie: Um, it was interesting. Our coach did a good job at ensuring that we were still getting something out of the season even after we had to go into lockdown. So we had speakers come out through zoom meeting and talk about various things related to soccer and college, soccer and the professional world, which was really cool. So [my coach] just did a really good job at keeping us engaged.

But it was definitely weird. It was kinda sad to have that last year cut off. So I was really glad to have my whole tennis season not cut off at the beginning of the year.

Joshua: I bet. That’s good!. [Laughs] And tell us where you’re going to college.

Natalie: I am going to New York University. And I will be starting in Paris.

Joshua: Oh great. Do you have a declared major yet? Not that you have to.

Natalie: No, I’m in a program called liberal studies, and I essentially do 2 years of… it’s a fancy word for general ed. And then I declare a major at the end of sophomore year.

Joshua: Ok. That’s smart. I’ve always loved when colleges had that track for students because people switch their majors constantly.

So switching gears now, needless to say, this has been a really strange year with the pandemic alone. And now with the Black Lives Matter protests across the country and world. I’m curious to hear what emotions up for you graduating in such a tumultuous year?

Natalie: I think it’s a mixture of a lot of things. Obviously there’s a bit of sadness in the fact that we missed several big events that were planned for seniors. But I think that’s really at the surface of it.

I think we all kind of realized that, first of all, that [us seniors] were taking for granted a lot of little things in life, specifically surrounding our friends and getting to spend time with them. But I think honestly quarantine has taught us a lot and has allowed us to mature. And I think that, especially with the protests, it’s been another wake-up call that we are very very lucky. And there is a lot of things happening in the world that are much more important than missing graduation.

So especially in the beginning, there was a lot of sadness and jealously towards previous classes to other classes who had a normal graduation. But I think we all realized that it’s not the end of the world. So we’ve grown enough as a class to realize we’re very fortunate. We’re particularly very fortunate to have access to the education that we have had, so yeah.

Joshua: Wow. That’s a very mature response that I’m hearing from you. You’re using the term “we” there and I’m assuming your talking about your fellow peers and seniors. Can you talk to us more about how you and your friends have processed through some of the pandemic or even current events like the protests?

Natalie: With regards to the pandemic, there’s been a lot of coping through like binge-watching shows and eating a lot of junk food and kinda just like splurging a little bit since we don’t get to treat ourselves, see our friends, or go out all the time. But with regards to the protests, I go to a school that is quite liberal, which in SF in not uncommon. And people have really taken this opportunity to get involved, stand up, spread a witness in any way that they can. We had a lot of people attend the protests. And those who couldn’t attend for health reasons or other reasons have been donating, signing petitions, and posting things all over Instagram to spread the facts surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement. And it’s been really really nice to see that even when we can’t meet in person, people have really been trying to come together and strive for change.

Joshua: Yeah absolutely. I think something I really credit to Gen Z is that there is this hunger for social justice. That’s in millennials, but there’s this real fire in Gen Z. So I’m curious if you have thoughts around that or thoughts like “this is what makes Gen Z unique”.

Natalie: Well it’s interesting cause Gen Z has been deemed by certain people as kinda reckless. But that so-called recklessness leads to a lot of bravery and courage to fight for what we believe in. We’re a generation that is very creative, of course very liberal overall, open, accepting, and really really strives to show people in our generation and older generations the importance of those values through so many different outlets: through art, through music, through other forms of media, through speech and debate, through these protests which has a very large presence of Gen Z. So I think we’re a very unique generation and I think that’s something the country needs right now.

Joshua: Yeah there’s a hunger there that I see. I agree with you. It seems that the issues that your generation is grappling with are issues that require y’all to grow up faster than anything I was thinking about in high school. So tell us a little bit about where you see yourself in 10 years. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Natalie: [Laughs] That’s a good question. Uh I’m not entirely sure.

Joshua: That’s all right.

Natalie: I see myself living in a big major metropolitan city and having a job that is in some way, shape, or form a creative outlet for me. If it ends up being something obvious like fashion or something entrepreneurial, but definitely something that allows me to project my ideas is the hope. Don’t know exactly what field that will be in yet. And I hope to be traveling, and having a lot of new experiences in various cultures.

Joshua: I love that. That’s great. So here we’re shifting to advice you’d like to give to graduating 8th graders, to this new class of seniors coming up, and advice for your fellow seniors. So let’s take those one at a time. We can start with 8th graders.

Natalie: This is actually very easy cause I have a sister whose graduating 8th grade and I kinda just gave her this whole spiel. My advice to graduating 8th graders would be to take every opportunity presented to you in high school. Try out as many opportunities to fit into your schedule that you can. Cause even if you don’t end up liking it, it’s worth a shot. You have 4 years to fill with as many experiences as you can. And I think I did a decent job at taking advantage of the programs, athletics, and trips. And it made a high school ten times better! All of my favorite memories from high school are not in the classroom. They’re from sports, or theatre, or internships, or clubs. Those are where the best experiences happen so don’t let those experiences pass you by.

Joshua: Great advice. What about for this new class of seniors?

Natalie: Uh don’t let senioritis hit you too hard! Try your best to stay motivated and healthy, especially during the college process. Don’t be hard or yourself and don’t get too down on yourself during that process. You’re trying to essentially sell yourself and see how great you are. So have faith and confidence in your abilities and it’ll make the college process much smoother.

Joshua: Any advice for students who are really down about the pandemic?

Natalie: Yes, rely on your friends. I’ve noticed that among Gen Z there’s varying levels or depression and anxiety, and that’s worsened by the current situation. And a lot of those people are kind of shutting themselves in and not talking to people. And that’s the way that they’re coping, completely shutting off from screens. I get the idea behind it. But I think if you’re struggling with any sort of mental health, which is worsened with not being able to see our friends, call your friends. And make sure they’re ok. But also let them make sure you’re ok.

Joshua: So inspiring. I completely agree and love that. And now to your fellow seniors. Drop some knowledge on em.

Natalie: Change the world guys! Actually, I’d giving similar advice that I said to 8th graders. I would say: Be present. Take every opportunity that comes your way. It’s so important to build connections and close friends right away, especially that first year living away from home. So I would just say be present, and don’t be afraid to try new things cause that’s what college is for.

PRAYER

Dear Class of 2020, we see you. We’re thinking about you. We believe in you. And we are celebrating your many unseen and heroic accomplishments this year. Through these hardships and uncertainty, may you feel God’s lavish favor and strength. May you hear the Spirit’s voice for your life, as you tread into a new future that awaits. And may you, like a well-known Franciscan prayer says, be blessed with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.