President Obama campaigns for re-election at Colorado State University in 2012.

Photo Credit: CU Independent

I started crying before he even began talking. At 7 P.M. on January 10, 2017, President Barack Obama gave his farewell address. It was the day before my sixteenth birthday.

President Barack Obama was elected when I was in second grade. Our moms took my best friend Harry and I to Colorado State University to watch him speak. I don’t remember a word he said. What I remember is the feeling of sitting on the grass, surrounded by passionate college students who were voting in their very first election, participating in the democratic process for the very first time. We went to IHOP after his speech, and the restaurant was packed with inspiration. Not excitement. Inspiration. That is what this man accomplished. He rallied second graders and college students and factory workers and grandparents.

That year, on Election Day, we had a mock election in school. I bluffed when the other kids asked who I had voted for, because I didn’t want to upset anyone. Harry and I sat in beanbag chairs at the end of the day, “reading”. The principal came over the intercom and announced that Barack Obama had won the majority of Werner Elementary School. Harry and I high-fived each other and went back to our books, satisfied that we’d done our part for our country.

I grew up with a fairly vague idea of the responsibilities of our Commander-in-Chief. I learned about the three branches of government at age eleven. I thought that it was a good thing that, theoretically, our country was protected from dictatorship by a system of checks and balances, but I never had worry that that system would be challenged. When I was twelve and election season rolled around again, my main outrage was with attack ads and how mean people could really be to each other.

The point is that President Obama was the president I grew up with. He was in office as I learned how to navigate society, learned how to solve equations and write essays and make volcanoes explode. He was there as I read biographies of civil rights heroes and combed through the news for current events. He was there as I went to caucuses and political rallies and started to state my opinions, instead of fumbling to say that I didn’t mind. President Obama was there, until he wasn’t.

And just as he says that we cannot afford to take democracy for granted, we cannot afford to take his presidency as such either. In his two terms, he inspired generations. Each of us will remember our own highlights, the changes that affected us the most. For me, it was a road towards equal pay for women, marriage equality, and the Paris Climate Change agreement. Those are the issues I plan to work towards, and if they are threatened, I will fight for them.

As President Obama put it, “our nation’s call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation.” No matter your background, your race or religion or sexual orientation, we are all citizens of the United States. With that comes a responsibility to find your own purpose, and explore the ways that you can direct that passion into our country. As a citizen, you have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process and truly affect change in our country. We may be the people, but you are an invaluable part to that group. We may be the people, but you have power in your hands. We are the people, and you must act.