This election season has fragmented us; by political party, gender, race, ethnicity, religion. Somewhere between the insults and controversies, we forgot the true importance of this all. While, yes, it’s about the future and leadership, it’s also about history. In deciding who we wanted to be as a country, we lost sight of who we are at our core.
Our forefathers founded this country on individuality, unity, and equality. We live in a time and place where opportunities are yours to seize and dreams are not wishful thinking. The fact that your voice matters and is celebrated is pretty incredible. When President-Elect Trump is sworn in, the truth is we will still get to live in the greatest nation on earth; where we are free to express our opinions, to enact change, and to cease opportunity.
Yes, we are hurt; we are angry. But we are not broken. We are still Americans, capable of resilience. We must all use this moment in history as our moment—an opportunity to celebrate that we are American and move forward united in a shared pride, honor, and respect to be called such. The president is one in 318.9 million. Regardless of who is in office, the truth remains that we are stronger together.
So much can happen in four years, just ask any college student. On the dawn of this next presidency, here is what some college students from across the country wish to see President-Elect Trump (and Americans in general) accomplish.
(Be sure to view our Snap Story for more real content and insights as well as live coverage of the inauguration and Women’s Marches happening across the country.)
“As a minority it is extremely important for me to see a positive view towards my community. It’s very frustrating and upsetting to see how much hate is directed to a group of people who are just trying to live a better life and search for opportunities just like everyone else. No one is lesser. I want our president-elect to encourage love and positivity towards all minorities because we are all hardworking and loving people. Things aren’t just handed to us. We wake up every morning with the will to try harder, fight harder, and work harder; because we believe we can make it and have hope that we will. We do it for ourselves, for each other, and for our families. Sending out hate and negativity does not unite us, but destroys us instead. I want to feel safe; I want to be treated equally; and I want to be respected. I don’t want us to be afraid. I don’t want to be afraid. I want love to trump hate. I want to see a hopeful future and not be scared of what’s to come.”—Brisa Gomez, Florida International University
“In the next four years I would really love to see him exceed expectations—the expectations of those supporting him and, perhaps more importantly, the expectations of those who do not. Politics is a touchy subject; but I would love to see him progress our country in equality rather than taking steps backwards. I would love to see him support and respect women of their own choices about their body rather than having the government intervene as this is a right we should have regardless of who our president is.”—Jordan Shiley, James Madison University
“This election was a tough one for me. After eight years of service from one of the greatest presidents this nation has ever seen, it is hard to fathom how someone who condones such fear and hatred is about to move into the White House. If I am being honest, I hope that President-Elect Trump accomplishes very little of what he has promised. I am frightened to see how his plans could potentially affect so many Americans, including myself as well as my closest friends and family. I hope that despite much of the words and rhetoric he utilized before, during, and after his campaign, he is able to be a righteous and just leader of our nation, but only time will tell.”—Casey Nalley, University of Kentucky
“I would like President-Elect to surprise people! Although many of us may not happy about who the President-Elect is, wanting him to fail is definitely not something that would benefit our country at all. So, I want him to surprise people. I would love to see this beautifully diverse country continue to be beautifully diverse, I want him to acknowledge our country is truly land of the free and not run people out of it. I want him to prove that American can still be the great but not ‘great again.’ I truly would love him to focus on more social issues such as our black communities, show them love, show them he cares, and maybe even we could teach him love. It’s hard to truly trust in a president or what to wish the best for him when so many negative things have come out of his mouth in already a short amount of time. Although social issues aren’t the only issues, they are big issues and I think they need to be acknowledged. So, all in all, I would love to see this country flourish, I would love to see president elect show so much love to anyone outside of the country, and welcome them in whether it be to be protected from what’s going on in their country or simply because they would love to apart of the American Dream!”—Kierra White, Pace University
