Year 25

Year 25
Year 25

Year 25

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

I just turned 25.

And in the weeks leading up to my birthday, this milestone was all I could think about.

Twenty-five seemed like such an important number.

Turns out, a lot of scientists would agree with me. The human brain, they say, marks the beginning of adulthood at 25. 

The official, biological start of adulthood? Yikes.

I couldn’t stop questioning myself: Is where I am and what I’m doing where I’m “supposed” to be at this landmark age? What do I want for my life when it comes to relationships, family, career? How is the economy, or the social climate around me going to foster or limit my future? How did other people handle this?

In short: it’s been one paralyzing existential crisis after another. Maybe you remember it.

Of course, because I’m a journalist, the questions of myself turned into questions for others. I went to my friends, to my colleagues, my family — and they all agreed  that, yes, there is something about 25 that makes it a seminal age.

And thus, a series was born.

And this is where we need you.

Over the next few months, I’ll be putting my questions to Chicagoans — some you know, and others you might not — as we explore this landmark age. We plan to bring you a collection of narratives, in many forms, that show what 25 was like for people in many walks of life, from lots of different generations, from all over the city.

We’ll be inviting you to join in, add your story to the mix.  Or suggest other folks we should talk with. You can weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #Year25, on the WBEZ Facebook page or answer a few questions.

It’s about the shared experience of year 25. That age that makes you groan, or grin, or get nostalgic, or maybe all of the above.  We want to hear about it.

I think it’s gonna be a good year.