Applicant #5: Autumn Slusser

Autumn Slusser is a 22-year-old from Muscle Shoals.

Autumn's video application:

Autumn online:

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Autumn's current situation:

Hi, my name is Autumn Slusser. I'm 22 years old and live in Muscle Shoals, AL. I'm a third year student at the University of North Alabama where I am majoring in Marine Biology. I am fun-loving, outgoing, adventurous, optimistic, free-spirited, knowledgeable and dedicated. I have a passion for preserving the environment and I am always seeking ways to lessen my ecological footprint. I was recently married in summer 2010 and have had many new and exciting opportunities to make important decisions about my future success. I love traveling as well as meeting new people and learning new ideas. I think that young people should be given proper instruction so that they can make informed decisions. I am very impressed with the resources that ListerHill Credit Union and the Young and Free Alabama program have made available. I would love to contribute to this effort by representing all the young and free adults in Alabama as the 2011 Young and Free Alabama spokesperson.

Autumn's blog post:

I often wonder what will become of my generation. Will we become tomorrow’s innovators? Can we stop Global Warming? Is there one among us who will cure AIDS? Will it be our creative minds that end the economic downfall? Clearly, my generation, Generation Y, has a lot on its plate. We are no strangers to our detractors, who say that we are too far isolated from the real dealings of life to make any contributions. However, as a member of Generation Y, I refuse to be seen as the generation that could make a difference, but probably won’t.

It is no secret that Generation Y encompasses the largest, best-educated, and most tech-savvy group of young adults the world has ever seen. This generation has experienced the best and worst of times in America. We lived through the peace and prosperity of the 90’s as children and came of age in an era when the world struggled against war, economic decline, genocide, natural disasters and social turmoil. If any generation could be said to have true perspective, it’s us. Generation Y has truly “been there and done that” and are stronger because of it. Combine these favorable attributes with the highest standard of living available and one finds the perfect recipe for success and solutions.

I have so much confidence in the abilities of my generation that I know we will rise to the occasion. Not only can we do it-- we have to do it. The world cannot wait any longer, the sands have been shifting for decades and it feels as if we are the ones left holding up the pillars of a crumbling temple in the final hour. We inherited this mess from our predecessors and if we do not act, there may be nothing left to pass on to future generations. That is why it must be our generation that leads in solving the planet’s predicament.

As a member of this incredibly gifted generation, I am taking a stand against complacency. It is time for Generation Y to accept the tasks that lie ahead and begin making the proper choices to ensure that we are ready to meet the challenge. We are faced with big decisions that will determine our future success. Yes, Generation Y is worldly and well-educated, but how much do we know about things that really count? Have we spent as much time learning how to be fiscally responsible as learning how to operate the latest technological gadgets? If we are to be the ones to usher in a new society of progression, we must understand how to manage the fundamental aspects of daily living, like financial awareness. I am certain that my generation will succeed beyond the greatest of expectations, but we must remember that to change our circumstance we have to adopt new ways of thinking. By embracing our latent knowledge and enhancing it with new wisdom our generation is going t o turn this world upside-down, and not a moment too soon!

Autumn