You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

It's happening. One year ago, David Brooks sparked a new topic of conversation in America. He turned the spotlight on the Millennials, a new generation and their arrival in college. His definition: The Organization Kid. Take a closer look...

The young men and women of America's future elite work their laptops to the bone, rarely question authority, and happily accept their positions at the top of the heap as part of the natural order of life. Professor Herbst of Princeton explained: "They are professional students. I don't say that pejoratively. Their profession for these four years is to be a student." And Brooks went on to explain: That doesn't mean that these leaders-in-training are money-mad (though they are certainly career-conscious). It means they are goal-oriented... They're not trying to buck the system; they're trying to climb it, and they are streamlined for ascent... in general they are happy with their lot. Authors Neil Howe and William Strauss (Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, 2000) enhanced that definition with their own offering: "They're optimists ... They're cooperative team players ... They accept authority ... They're rule followers."

The article continued with a complete history and future insight for the organization kid. Indeed, the story was accurate at the time. But months later, Brooks took time to reevaluate his position: the fall semester brought a world of change. In the November 4th edition of Newsweek, he described the full impact of September 11th on this college community, thus giving a deeper meaning to the original definitions. What will be the next steps for these rising leaders?

Get the full story from the pages of The Atlantic Monthly.

Read Newsweek's "The Organization Kid Revisited".