Youth Quote Search

Welcome to the Striving to Thriving Youth Quote Library. Here you’ll find a curated collection of more than 5,700 quotes from young people ages 15-22 living in communities across the United States. In the library you can see how young people describe their multifaceted identities, how they understand and apply meaning to language around job, work and career, how they think about and assign value to relationships, networking and connections, and their future goals and the education and career choices they believe will lead them there. You can also view additional notes on curation, categories and filters. 

  • Challenges and Barriers
  • Lack of support

“For my brother, like he goes to UW. He got a full ride for eight years. Like he’s planning to be a surgeon…He came home, and he was here for his birthday and Thanksgiving…And I just felt bad because I’ve never seen him cry before, and he’s my big brother. And he was like crying to me, and he was just mad because he said that just every time he comes home, everyone just gives him faces and like looks at him with disgust and stuff because like he, what’s it called, like they ask him if he like his career. And he just says he doesn’t know still. He doesn’t want to tell no one what he wants to do. But he wants to be a surgeon, and he doesn’t know what kind yet or whatever or anything. But he’s the only one that’s gone to college and actually is going to graduate. The first one to, you know, anything…It’s weird, and it’s hard to like explain…Like they think you go for a couple of years, you’re going to get all of this money. Like they don’t understand…”

Participant:

  • Yakima, WA
  • Hispanic
  • male
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Perceptions of the term 'job'
  • Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Money, support, happiness, wealth, participation and comfort…Because I feel when you get a paycheck, you feel happy. The first check it is like taking a step from being a child and kind of like adulthood. You get a paycheck, so it kind of makes you happy.”

Participant:

  • Pueblo, CO
  • Hispanic
  • male
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Perceptions of the term 'job'
  • Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Trader Joe’s, money, responsibility and then desk job.”

Participant:

  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Hispanic
  • female
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Aspirations and Goals
  • Inspiration and motivations

“I didn’t really grow up with much, so I’d like to have a future that doesn’t involve me struggling or scrapping to get by.”

Participant:

  • Online
  • Black
  • female
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Perceptions of the term 'career'
  • Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Collaboration.”

Participant:

  • Online
  • Black
  • female
  • 26-29
  • mixed income
  • Education
  • Perceptions of high school

“In middle school I went to a really good public school. And I have been pretty bad in math my whole life, but I always try, and it never really worked for me. The teachers would tell my parents that I was not trying, I didn’t care and stuff. But when I finally went to private school, they tested me and actually found I have a learning disability. No one believed that anything was wrong. They didn’t care until I went to a smaller environment where people actually did care enough to see the root of a problem. Obviously, I got the help I needed after finding out. I think it is just about people looking out for you more. Once you are in a big setting it is hard to see the individual person.”

Participant:

  • Pasadena, CA
  • white
  • female
  • 15-22
  • higher income
  • Attributes and characteristics
  • Describing Identity

“Silent…I don’t really say too much. I mean, I can talk, but I just don’t; like you don’t have to talk every time. I mean, there’s certain times when you have to talk. I’m not like a talkative type of person. I only talk when it’s needed.”

Participant:

  • Baltimore, MD
  • Black
  • male
  • 15-22
  • higher income
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Perceptions of entrepreneurship

“It is kind of terrifying. I feel you have one shot at it, and if you don’t do it good the first time then everybody will see you as a joke almost.”

Participant:

  • Pueblo, CO
  • Hispanic
  • female
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Perceptions of the term 'work'
  • Understanding Job/Work/Career

“Tiring, boredom.”

Participant:

  • Online
  • white
  • male
  • 15-22
  • lower income
  • Reflections on Focus Group Experience
  • Takeaways

“I’m thinking about going to college and being able to afford it. I won’t have any other thoughts right now though.”

Participant:

  • Online
  • white
  • male
  • 15-22
  • lower income