Voting in an actual presidential election is something that I have looked forward to for as long as I can remember. I lived for the mock presidential elections in elementary school, and I always enjoyed going to the polls with my parents as they went to fill out their ballots. I find it so awesome that every citizen has the opportunity to aid in making decisions that affect our entire community, and I am excited that I am old enough to take part in this decision-making process now.
I turned eighteen the during a non-presidential election year, but I was still incredibly excited the first time that I got to go to the polls myself. I spent a lot of time looking over my options and making informed decisions when I went out to vote, and I even got to vote at home this spring with my parents, which was incredibly exciting.
Unfortunately, although I was really looking forward to my chance to get to vote in a presidential election, this election cycle has turned out to be pretty overwhelming. There are many things that can be said from all sides about this election, and because viewpoints have become so polarized, I have slowly gotten less and less involved. Of course I still hold my own political views very tightly, and I know who and what I’m voting for come November, but I have just felt so jaded by the way that people have chosen to act throughout this election season that I don’t want to be involved with all of it on a public level.
That being said, I was taken completely off guard when I watched the first presidential debate last week, and it wasn’t because of the crazy things that the candidates were saying.
I was struck by the fact that for the first time in my life, I was watching a woman who was in a debate as the Democratic Party Nominee, and what’s more, that woman could very well become our next president. I was literally watching history being made on my computer screen, and as I sat and thought about the importance of that moment, I began to cry. For me, and women throughout our country, this election is incredibly important not just because of the issues at stake, but also because we now have a new role model—a new, higher dream that we as women can now achieve. No longer will little girls be afraid of being the “first” or the “only” woman to do something, because if Hillary is in office next year, women will have crossed the barrier that it has taken us centuries to overcome. A woman will finally be able to hold the highest office in the country.
I cried watching Hillary up on stage because I understand the struggles that she goes through to be taken seriously as a politician. As I woman in STEM, I am constantly faced with the reality that it takes a lot more effort for me to be seen as a professional and to be treated with the respect that I deserve. I know how hard it can be to succeed in a male-dominated field. For me, Hillary is a woman who is proving that women truly can do anything. And even though we still fight day in and day out to be legitimized, Hillary is proof that our hard work is paying off. Not only is she able to be poised, confident and to give intelligent and thoughtful responses during debates, but she also stands as a woman against the traditional feminine stereotypes. She dominates. She slays. And she gives me hope for the future.
Image Credit: Jenna Bouquot, Quartz, CNN