It's no secret that I was a Clinton supporter. I've noted the night of the 2016 election as one of the worst nights of my life, as I watched many of my closest friends scream and cry as they came to terms with the one thing no one had really taken the time to consider as a possibility - a trump Presidency.

At first, I swore off going to the Inauguration. I couldn't bring myself to get up early in the morning and celebrate the transfer of power to a man who was against everything I stand for morally. I didn't feel comfortable, as a woman, walking into a space where people applauded someone who has openly degraded women and countless other marginalized groups of people.

However, I realized that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to witness history. Regardless of whether or not you supported Trump, you cannot deny that this election is a historic one. I could never forgive myself if I took advantage of living just blocks away from the Capitol building and missing out on this. With tickets from my Congressman in hand, I, along with two other friends, braved one of the sections nearer to the front.

I promised myself that I would go into the experience with an open mind. I felt numb that morning when I woke up. It was hard to leave that Barack Obama wasn't the big man in charge anymore. As I made my way down to Capitol Hill, I was uplifted by protesters who walked through the street chanting, "No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!" I was ready to join the crowd, knowing in my part that there were people working to maintain the values that have always made America the great country it is.

My sentiments changed when I finally had myself situated, just minutes before the Inauguration ceremonies again. As I leaned up against a tree, craning to see what was happening on the steps of the Capitol, I was appalled at the way the people around me were speaking to each other. It was if everyone had come for their own selfish reasons. Attendees yelled at each other as people squished past, one woman near me even making an old lady, another Trump supporter, sob because of the words she was throwing at her.

I was overwhelmed at this point. I texted my mom, saying, "This is the saddest thing I have ever been a part of." There were tears in my eyes, as well as in those of the friends I was with. I couldn't believe the way the people around me began to scream at and boo Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as he spoke, getting especially loud when he mentioned equality for people of all sexual orientations. We decided to move at this point, and that's when an idea came to my head.

This semester, I'm taking an intro to newswriting course, and I decided I really wanted to understand the people around me. So, I asked a woman near me if she could share why she, as a woman, decided to vote for Trump. Immediately, the man in front of me started to scream in my face, telling me that he was trying to watch the program. That simply wasn't true. Seconds before, he and everyone else around me had been shouting obscenities at Senator Schumer.

I complied, walking away, not before I could add in that I was a ticket-holder too, hoping he would treat me with respect from here on out. Shortly after I was situated in my new spot, I heard the group of people I had previously been standing with begin to talk about me.

"She was texting her little friends that this was the saddest day of her life. Wait until she grows up and has to get a job and pay taxes."

"Trump's going to be repealing executive orders between Inaugural balls. They should just bring out the desk right now."

I left sobbing. A young man in military uniform stopped me, encouraging me to not let their hateful words get to me. I promised him they weren't, because I was going to work my ass off to ignite change.

I thought leaving was the end of it all, but I was mistaken. A group of protesters were being led out, with one man being restrained by the police. As I made my way toward the exit, one security guard began to yell at me to keep moving. I was genuinely afraid she might hurt me if I didn't do what she said. I assume she thought I was with the man being arrested. Her eyes were full of hate, and I knew in that moment mine were full of fear.

I realized two things after the Inauguration. First, that I wasn't necessarily mad at Trump or the people who supported him. I was merely appalled at the fact that people came out from all over the country to support the peaceful transfer of power, and thought that it was acceptable to be cruel to one another. It wasn't an event of unity or joy, but instead of competition and a negative ferocity.

Second, I fully realized how the marginalized communities affected by Trump's words must truly feel. I was spoken down to and spoken about for being different, for not believing the same thing. I felt threatened by the police. I felt scared in my own backyard.

I recognize that all Trump supporters are not bad people. And my feelings were not a result of Donald Trump. In this day, with so much hate and discord, we need to recognize that we are all people. We all have goals and dreams and families and people we love. Everyone deserves to have their own beliefs and opinions and have that be respected.

I wish President Trump the best, and I hope he sticks to his promise that he will return this country to its people. But he, and his supporters, must remember that its people includes people of all creeds, colors, genders, religions, beliefs, and sexual orientations have a right to make sure this country stays great, and that we can all move forward to make it an even greater nation. We will always and forever be stronger together.