The Experience of a Lifetime: Seeing President Obama

Eight years ago, I favored my first political candidate, Barack Obama. I was in the fourth grade when I made the decision to choose Barack Obama as my next president. At that time, my mom was actually in favor of Hillary Clinton, but I watched one of Obama’s speeches on television and I decided to root for him. It was thrilling that summer before going into the fifth grade to find out that the man I was rooting for won the Democratic Nomination. That November in 2008, I had to go to bed at an appropriate time for school the next day, but I told my mom to wake me up if he won, and he did; my mom and I were hysterical. In the eight years that I have been protected and defended by this man—I have never been happier. We were pulled out of the recession, given the right to marry whomever we loved, given health care reform, ended the war in Iraq, gave justice to Osama Bin Laden, repealed “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”, improved school nutrition, expanded wilderness protection, pushed federal agencies to reduce environmental impacts, invested in renewable technology, and expanded stem cell research. Just to name a few. People do not give enough credit to this wonderful man who has led us to a much better America than we had had eight years prior to his presidency. What a legacy to not only be the First African-American President, but to have had such a great impact in such a limited time. Today, I saw my hero. Today, I saw the leader of our country in person. We were breathing the same air, as he told us how important this election is. He told us, millennials, how important it was for us to vote. When he speaks, everyone is FIRED UP and READY TO GO. He talked to us on a personal level and was very witty and charming. He embodies everything I want in America. He sees our potential; he knows what we want, who we are, and who we want to be. It was an honor to be in his presence today. I cried a lot. This was something I will NEVER FORGET. I am going to hold on to this memory forever and look back on how we made history, TWICE.