They were born during the iPhone revolution, came of age in a pandemic and now graduate into a world transformed by artificial intelligence. For the Class of 2025, change has never been the exception — it has been the backdrop. As they prepare to leave high school behind, these students reflect a generation shaped by disruption, connection, reinvention and resilience.
The Class of 2025 didn’t just grow up on screens — they grew up on fast-forward. Born in the late 2006 to mid-2007 window, their lives have coincided with the rise of smartphones, streaming media, social movements and digital identity. Their junior high years were marked by lockdowns and learning loss. Now, they bring with them not just ambition, but insight into a world they’ve been watching, questioning and navigating — even as rapidly evolving artificial intelligence promises more disruption ahead.
Josh Klapow, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, behavioral scientist and lifestyle coach based in Birmingham.
According to Birmingham-based clinical psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow, this class enters adulthood with “an incredible amount of flexibility and adaptation that has literally been tested for them since they were born.” He described them as “a class that can remind themselves they have seen it all,” citing exposure to political upheaval, technological change and social isolation as uniquely formative.
At Vestavia Hills High School, seniors have lived through lockdowns, digital classrooms and a redefined sense of “normal.”
VHHS senior Sara White said growing up as a digital native brought both advantages and downsides.
“In many ways I see it as an advantage. School-wise, having access to digital textbooks and online practice quizzes has been really helpful,” she said. “But socially, the digital world has had a more negative impact. When things get uncomfortable or we don’t feel like talking, we can just reach for the phone.”
Sara White is a senior in Vestavia Hills High School's Class of 2025.
A 2024 study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that while resilience and social support buffered students from social media’s effects, about 1 in 5 college students still feel isolated — suggesting deeper challenges are at play.
“I think a lot of times other generations, especially older generations, think we’re lazy because we use tools like AI or resources online to help with tasks,” White added. “But we’re just using our resources to the best of our abilities and making our everyday more efficient.”
Audrey Martin, another VHHS senior, said she doesn’t think her generation is fully ready for what AI will bring.
“I feel like there's going to be a big period of time where we don't know how to handle it,” she said. “It’s going to take jobs. I’ve already seen it affect people like my aunt, whose work has been replaced by AI. I think there needs to be more planning before it becomes too big of a thing.”
Audrey Martin is a senior in Vestavia Hills High School's Class of 2025.
PANDEMIC DISRUPTION AND ACADEMIC RESILIENCE
White said her sense of “normal” shifted drastically after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Normal now means a lot of online resources. During the pandemic we were fully virtual, and the resources we obtained during that period are still being used today,” she said. “The pandemic hit during my seventh grade year, a time when you're developing a ton of social skills. That might have hindered us a little bit.”
According to a 2024 report by the Center on Reinventing Public Education, the average student has recovered about a third of pandemic-era learning losses in math and a quarter in reading. Recovery has been especially slow for students nearing the end of their K-12 careers.
“The challenges and experiences that many of these kids have gone through will be something they look back on in years to come and it will be unique to their generation,” Klapow said. “They can say, ‘We lived through a global pandemic,’ or, ‘We used to use smartphones for everything.’ This creates connection with one another, and everyone might come from a different background or a different way of life, but ultimately what connects everyone with this graduating class is they all faced similar life events at the same time.”
Madelyn Wigley said she will never forget the first homecoming week that felt truly back to normal.
Madelyn Wigley is a senior in Vestavia Hills High School's Class of 2025.
“All the dress-ups, pep rallies, powder puff, being on homecoming court — it felt like the epitome of what I expected high school to be,” she said.
White shared a similar milestone: “During my junior year, my robotics team qualified for the world championship,” she said. “It was really cool to go to Dallas and see people from all over the world.”
IDENTITY AND WHAT COMES NEXT
Klapow said that even amid the rise of AI and digital reliance, the class of 2025 shows a powerful ability to remain human.
“That humanity goes back to our basic needs — love, protection, connection, creativity — and these things are uniquely human,” he said. “This class will simply incorporate technology while still being able to tap into what makes us human.”
“I think everybody wants to say that we're lazy, or we don't try,” Wigley said. “But I think there's a lot of passion and motivation. Our generation is just dealing with the cards we've been dealt.”
Wigley said her class could be summed up in one word: “Friendship.”
“I think a lot of people find identity in their friends,” she said. “We’re growing up together. I’d call a lot of people my friend now that maybe I wouldn’t have in middle school. There’s a lot of connection.”
Sidney Grace Culwell is a senior in Vestavia Hills High School's Class of 2025.
Sidney Grace Culwell added that her class is “ingenious.”
“We’re really good at finding new ways to approach things — pitching ideas, adapting, communicating,” she said. “We’ve had to adapt to so much so quickly.”
Culwell also reflected on the way technology has shaped social interaction.
“I feel like my social battery ran out so easily coming back eighth grade,” she said. “COVID was our only way to communicate, and we got comfortable with it. It’s been a harder adjustment to going back to being fully in person.”
As for AI? She said her classmates won’t truly understand the stakes until they enter the workforce.
“I feel like it’s going to get bad before it gets better,” Culwell said. “People are going to get degrees, graduate college, and then realize that AI is now threatening to take the job they spent thousands of dollars preparing for. That’s when we’ll all have to pivot.”
Still, students say they’re hopeful.
“I think our generation has a lot of potential,” White said. “We’re prepared to use these tools and adapt. We’re resourceful.”
Wigley said the uncertainty of what comes next is scary — but exciting.
“I think there's always an uneasiness with a new invention,” she said. “I'm sure people felt that way about the assembly line, too. But we use it all the time now. I think AI can be destructive, but we just need to learn how to use it well.”
Starnes Media Creator Collective student journalist Corra Maddox of Vestavia Hills High School contributed to this report.
