This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Fordham chapter.
Dear future President of the United States,
First off, I should probably introduce myself. I am a female college student in her early twenties, with big dreams ahead of me motivating me to do great things. I love my dog, coffee, and watching football. If you pull up next to me at a stop light, I’m probably singing at the top of my lungs. You should also know that I love living in this country and right now I can honestly say I am nervous with where this presidential race is going. Whenever you get to the Oval Office Mr. or Mrs. future President, I would like you to know that I would consider getting through the petty social media attacks and heated debates and earning the votes of the swing states to be quite an admirable feat. However, as I am sure you are aware, there will be a lot on your plate for the next four years as the whole country and much of the world will be looking to you for answers. Answers to the numerous problems and questions you will be forced to deal with gracefully and hopefully insightfully. Being the President of the United States will mean that not everyone will be happy with you being our new leader. It will also mean that you will have many supporters of your beliefs. I am here to ask that those beliefs benefit our country in the most extensive and all-embracing way possible.
It is very clear that the candidates who were running against you were incredibly unique and all had something to bring to the table in regard to guiding our country to comfort, success and improvement. It is imperative that you recognize, however, that the United States is still a world-renowned symbol of freedom and everyone should still feel free while living here. Being the president means you are not dictating this country, it means you are not ignoring cultures, backgrounds or struggles that are not your own, it means you are not promoting hate and inequality. America, also known as the melting pot of the world, should not be dealing with a leader who wants to divide the United.
That being said, avoiding racism, ageism, sexism, class barriers and other classifying hierarchies that divide society is a very difficult thing. Our world has been continuously exposed to such horrors recently that will make it hard to dissolve such problems. Nevertheless, you need to be a leader who will be consistently looking to resolve the problems your nation is facing. For the sake of this country and maintaining its supposedly united front, you need to be eager to promote love and success in such a hurting world. We need a levelheaded and smart, peacekeeping yet protective leader to create shoes to fill for the president after you instead of you simply wanting to fill the shoes that were left for you.
Qualities such as being genuine and honest as well as being so unprejudiced you are able to speak for everyone in this beautiful country seem to be such obvious traits for a president to have. But as I previously stated, I am nervous. I am nervous because a painfully large number of people forget what it means to have your job, future president. It is not about what you look like or how much money you have or what your spouse may have done in their time in the spotlight during the race. It is about your ability to truly make a difference. The future of our nation is in your hands and I truly hope that you take that power and do something for the good of this country, not just for you. Because despite you being the face of our country, the true face of this country is the kid learning how to ride his bike for the first time, learning that determination is key in getting what you want; not just getting it handed to you. It is the mom who worked three jobs to put her children through school to allow them to achieve their dreams. It is the soldier who sacrifices everything for the love of this country. So please, do not forget what the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave is all about. We are all counting on you to preserve the values we all stand for and continue to prove America is a wonderful place to live.
Sincerely,
An American With High Hopes
(photo source)