There he lurks, surrounded by greasy bags of potato chips and mildewing cups of coffee, staring at his iPhone screen, his eyes glazed and his jaw protruding brutishly: the Basement-Dwelling Millennial. He is a myth with whom we are all familiar. But as students, our connection to him is especially strong, because we are him. Or, at least, he is what we are perceived to be.

Millennials spend all their time on Instagram, live in their parents' basements, and have no drive or ambition. Everyone agrees, from your Great Aunt Bertha, griping about 'the Twitter' and 'the Google,' to Pew Research Center, whose "How Millennial Are You?" quiz features questions inquiring whether you've watched more than an hour of television in the last twenty-four hours, whether you've gotten more than fifty texts recently, and whether you have a tattoo.

As a millennial, I'd like to respond to these criticisms of my generation, so here's a list of the reasons why millennials are fully-functioning, significant members of society. Of course, these are all opinions, but then again, so is the stereotype of the Basement-Dwelling Millennial.

1. We adapt well to change. New technologies are being invented constantly, and because we've grown up alongside the development of the computer and smartphone industries, we’re the most technology-savvy generation. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, we are 2.5 times more likely to use new technology than our elders. While technology obsession is a point of criticism of millennials, it also means that, the same way that we've changed our lifestyles as computers and phones have become more advanced, we also adapt better to other changes. Perhaps that's why we're so optimistic (the same U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study found that millennials are the happiest generation): we're not struggling as we alter our lives to adapt to new ways of survival.

2. We're excellent with computers. This technology has become so important in everyday life that even non-millennials rely on it. Computers aren't a novelty anymore; they're a necessity. In high schools throughout the country, technology has become integral to the learning process, reshaping the definition of a literary text and expanding boundaries of what we can and cannot do in class. “I like to think of my classroom as a multimedia space,” says freshman and sophomore English teacher Solmaaz Yazdiha. ”You want what’s going on inside the classroom to reflect what’s going on outside the classroom, in the real world. To ignore it would be to ignore real life.”

3. We're well-educated, and take education seriously. From 1990, when the youngest chunk of Generation X was in high school, to 2013, when millennials made up the high school student body, the dropout rate decreased from 12% to 7%. We're the generation that has made the choice to obtain a well-rounded education. This gives us more opportunities to go into professions that we feel passionate about, and as a result, we're better at our jobs. It also allows us to make well-informed choices about our personal lives. And, as Malala Yousafzai, a millennial women’s rights activist who brought global attention to girls’ education in Pakistan, said, "[Education is] like a precious gift. It's like a diamond."

4. We genuinely want to improve the world. Whatever our shortcomings, millennials do more than gripe about world issues; according to Achieve’s 2013 Millennial Impact Report, 47% of millennials have signed petitions or pledges for causes that they care about. Plus, the Kauffman Foundation found that 54% of millennials either aspire to start a business or already have one. Even social media (which has been viewed solely as a medium for sharing selfies) has been used as a tool for spreading social justice. I'm thinking specifically of the Black Lives Matter movement, and how Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr have also been used to spread awareness about these racial issues. Millennials' logic in taking action like this is that we're going to be living in this world for another two-thirds of a lifetime, so we want to alter it to fit our ideals.

5. We believe in equality. The following statistics are from studies by Harstad Strategic Research Inc., Pew Research Center, and Achieve: We have been fighting to get rid of gender roles and promote women's rights. We are the generation most in favor of mixed-race marriages. The majority of us volunteer to help the less fortunate. We see the benefits of immigration and support the protection of immigrants; we want to safeguard workers’ rights; and we would like to see the government dedicate more effort and funding to aiding the poor. Millennials make up one of the most progressive generations, one that has a strong desire for economic and social justice.

Clearly, we have emerged from the basement.