Senior Benjamin Pomerantz is ranked number one in his class, has won numerous awards for academic merit, and is on track to applying to some of the nation’s most competitive schools, including Washington University and Yale. Pomerantz was even voted as “Most Likely to Succeed” by his classmates.

Although his classmates selected him as a representation of success, those who voted for him are careful to note that Pomerantz’s shot at an Ivy League education does not fit into their own ideas of success. In the grand scheme of things, senior Deja Carter gives success a poetic definition.

“Success is doing what you love and inspiring others in the process,” Carter said.

According to junior Christion Simmons, one does not necessarily have to make a lot of money or attain a desirable status to be considered successful. He notes that traditional versions of success do not really apply to younger generations.

“Fame, money and status aren’t really accurate markers of success, because nowadays it is easier to get these things just by starting a YouTube channel or being pretty on Instagram,” Simmons said.

Seniors like Diamond Jones also acknowledge that their lives after college are not necessarily directed by materialism and the social media driving new business markets.

“Success is not knowing but not telling everything you know,” said Jones. “It’s the point in your life when you feel as if you’ve reached your highest potential and you’re satisfied. Most importantly success is the happiness of a reached goal.”

Jones’s distaste for the unhumble inspires her to pursue a humbler life in comparison to Kim Kardashian. After graduating from U. City she plans to pursue journalism as means to promote awareness and peace among the common people.

“In ten years I hope to be successfully finished with college, and doing something stable with journalism,” Jones said. “Overall I want to be happy with where I am in life.”