By Kelly Miller-Alvarez, M.S., Program Director CLE Fort Lauderdale

Kelly Miller-Alvarez - Director at CLE Fort Lauderdale
Am I “cool”? I used to know I was back in the day…when I was young and filled with adventure, edge, and possibilities. And I still think, I’m “cool” but I have to acknowledge that my definition of that word has changed over the years. Nothing reminds me of this more than when I am with my students, who are talking about the latest trends or newest apps, and I realize that I have no idea what they are talking about. And it hits me: What is “cool” nowadays anyways?

How do I find this information, I wondered? I could Google it… and so I did.

I found “cool.”

I found hordes of articles and videos on the subject. From movies, to music, to clothing, to social media — I found it all! There was more information than I could possibly process. However, as I looked through the lists and watched the videos, I asked myself another question — is this what my students think is “cool”? So, I was off to investigate.

I started with my students at CLE-Fort Lauderdale and they were certainly not shy about sharing! They were a wealth of information about what they liked to do in their free time, what they liked to watch, wear, read, eat, etc. Then to get a broader perspective on our students’ interests, I looked at the results of a CLE student-wide survey that was sent out to them a few weeks before. Armed with this information, I set out to form a list of what is “cool” according to our students.

And here are the results

  • Social Media – No surprise here! Facebook and YouTube top the list of this category.
  • Movies – Comedy, Action, and Animation take the lead on the most popular genres. Individually, Star Wars and Harry Potter are the top two most mentioned.
  • Television – Game of Thrones, The Office, Family Guy, and Modern Family all deserve honorable mentions. And Netflix is the most common mode of television watching.
  • Gaming – all types are “cool” with our students. From video games, to computer games, to the classic board games. However, the Nintendo switch deserves a shout out!
  • Eating – All types of food are on the list. There was not one clear winner here.
  • Shopping – does not matter where or when, but shopping stays cool throughout the ages.
  • Selfies – Do I need to say more?
  • Cartoons – Tom and Jerry and Nickelodeon are mentioned often.
  • Anime – As well as Manga (Japanese style comic books), movies, television, and gaming are ever-popular in our students’ eyes.
  • Sports – Basketball and soccer take the lead over the other sports. Our students like to watch them, talk about them, and play them.
  • Asian Languages
  • Memes – I have to admit, I had no idea what these were before writing this article.
  • Music – rock and pop come in for a close first and second, and country rounds out the top three.


CLE Students doing their thing
So, there it is, a list of the top “cool” things from the perspective of our students. But, as I gathered the information needed for this article, what stood out to me most was the variety of our students’ interests. My list of “cool” could have gone on and on and on. And the list would have contradicted itself. For every example above, there were students that completely disagreed. So, what is my conclusion about what is “cool”? I guess I don’t really have one. In my eyes, it is not what we like or do that make us “cool”; it is being ourselves. Let’s stop focusing on what is “cool” and embrace who we are. As I say to my friends, families, and students: YOU do YOU!