Contributed by Laura Rios.

I love Xennials. In case you’re not familiar with the term, Xennials describes the “micro-generation” of people whose birth years are between the late 1970s and the early 1980’s.  Essentially, this group of people are on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y. They’re the younger Gen X’ers but they are definitely not millennials.

What makes a Xennial so special? Xennials are the first people to grow up with computers and have access to the internet, giving them a major edge with technology. They experienced the rise of the internet as they grew up; they weren’t simply born into the current world of online shopping, social media, and VPNs. Xennials were the last group of young people to get through high school without Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Most of them didn’t have a cell phone until they became adults.

In addition, Xennials entered the workforce while it was still dominated by hard-working baby boomers. While these “youngsters” had a clear advantage with technology, their supervisors and mentors modeled a strong work ethic, common sense, and a lot of on-the-job know-how. Xennials sucked all this up like sponges. They are often savvy, confident, and determined risk takers.

These qualities can make Xennials a force to be reckoned with, for better or for worse. They are uniquely positioned to be movers and shakers. They’re often in the limelight and can become brilliantly popular or dangerously notorious. More than 20% of the current US congress fall into this microgeneration. Late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was a Xennial. Dictator Kim Jong-un is also a Xennial. Other well-known Gen X/Gen Y hybrids include: songwriter/singer/musician John Legend, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, Kim Kardashian, Tony Romo, Paris Hilton, Macaulay Culkin, both Serena and Venus Williams, pop star Pink, Tiffany Haddish, novelist Colleen Hoover, and Sarah London, CEO of the Fortune 500 healthcare giant Centene Corporation. Xennials, all.

As an aging “boomer”, I find Xennials fascinating. There’s a certain understanding between us, a special symbiotic relationship, between their generation and mine. I’d keep my eyes on Xennials, if I were you.