I made GS when I was 18 - it was back during the financial crisis and I was living in Miami (but based out of ORD) where there aren't many UA elites. My travel patterns didn't change from year to year but I assume many others did, pushing my spend above that year's threshold. I still remember logging into my MP account on Jan 1 and seeing the little status on the left side of the screen had switched from 1K to Global Services! Held onto it for a few years and consistently heard from employees that I was the youngest GS they had ever seen. Eventually left to AA when things got bad after the merger and sad to say I haven't looked back.