This summer would have been my 10 year college reunion.

With the coronavirus still wrecking havoc on normal daily life, millions of students around the world are missing out on achieving closure from their high school or university. The televised special last night was an inspiring, beautiful gesture to those students. It has compelled me to add my own encouragement to the conversation.

Here’s what I would say to them.

You have just completed training from subject matter experts and now have the foundation to solve problems in the world and make a difference. The world needs problem solvers more than ever.

These are extraordinary times. We are facing 2 global crises: the coronavirus pandemic, and climate change. One is disrupting our modern world like nothing ever before, the other threatens to end our species and millions of others.

These realities can be scary. But, in a way, you are lucky. You have the chance to do more good for the world than any generation before.

You have the chance, for the first time in the history of our civilization, to ensure equal opportunity and treatment for all people, regardless of age, gender, nation, culture, race, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.

You have the chance to apply what you’ve learned to make the world more efficient and sustainable. Never before have we had such powerful technology. You have the chance to ensure that technology is used for the good of the planet.

You have the chance to ensure future generations are born into a world better than what exists today.

Big events can define generations in a way. Your great grandparents were defined by how they endured through the Great Depression and rallied together in World War II. Your parents can be defined by how they ushered the world into a new age through technological advancement.

Notice how I worded those examples. The Great Depression and World War II and computers didn’t define your elders and ancestors. How they handled those events, how they responded to changing times, did.

You have the same opportunity with this epidemic and the climate change crisis. Not the events themselves, but how you respond to them, will define your generation. You have the opportunity to build a safer, healthier, more equal and more inclusive world. A kinder and more considerate world. A more prosperous and sustainable world. A peaceful and just world.

You have this chance. And it starts right now. What are you going to do with it?