Wednesday, July 12th, 2000: Young Americans premieres on the WB. Although most of us have not seen YA on that day, it is still the day that started everything, the day that makes everything that is now possible.
We saw the show and fell in love with the unique storylines, the settings, the music, and, most of all, the characters. I know that Will, Bella, Scout, Jake, Ham, Finn, Ryder, Grace, Sean, Lena, Paige, Caroline and all the other characters will always hold a special place in my heart.
And after the show ended, after all the hope for a second season had died, we stayed, we followed the actors and actresses in their careers and saw them grow up and become more and more famous. We started being a fan of Rodney, Ian, Kate, Mark, Kate, Charlie and everyone else the first time we saw YA, and we still haven't stopped.
Now, 4 years later, I see that, although many fans have disappeared, not because they lost interest, but because real life got in the way, we are still many fans, and there are always new fans that come here. These fans create a new generation, and this generation will keep YA alive as long as possible.
To me, personally, YA was something I didn't even know I needed until it was there. It changed my life in a lot of ways, and it changed me. I know that I wouldn't be the same person now if I hadn't seen YA, hadn't met all the amazing people here, hadn't found something in my life that I could be passionate about. That's why I will always remember YA. Not only because it was a good tv show. Not because I liked it. I will always remember YA as a big part of my life, something that made me grow up and become who I am right now.
I am thankful to be a YA fan. We are a unique group of people, and I am proud to be a part of this community. I am proud that I am one of the few people that got to see YA, that got to experience what it means to be passionate about something. YA was not only a tv show. It was, and still is, more, to everyone of us.
I am thankful and I'm proud to say that we can celebrate our 4th anniversary. It all started on a Wednesday in the summer of 2000, a day that changed all of our lives forever.
Let's celebrate!
