Our generation is the future. The next four years determine what lies ahead for our nation, and we have the capability to define that change. A lot can happen in four years, heck, a lot can happen in a single week. By the next election, we'll be graduating college, beginning our careers, and some will even be starting their own families. We are the generation that decides whether our children will grow up in a country wrought by war and hate as opposed to a nation of growth and equality.

Times are changing for our post-teen society. Gone are the days of

high school politics over who would be voted for class president. This is the big leagues. The president we are voting for is in charge of far more than creating the ultimate Homecoming dance. We, as a community, need to use our education towards bettering our nation in ways that older generations don't understand.

I am not one to be biased against certain candidates, although I am slightly ashamed to admit that I have watched my fair share of "The Apprentice." I want to see the best candidate represent our country...not one who's primary concern is to ban all Muslims. But hey, that's just one person's opinion.

Facebook and Twitter: two of the largest social media platforms on the internet and home to the endless opinions of billions of people. Might as well grab a bag of popcorn and sit back as you scroll through the interminable posts of political drama. Countless times I've found myself reading through a 38-comment post about why supporters of Bernie Sanders are incompetent, even though the original post started with talking about the polls in a particular state. My question to the collegiate population is: why complain about the way others are voting if you aren't taking the time to fill out your own ballot?

"Wow, your Facebook statuses about controversial topics totally changed my opinion on the subject!" -No one ever

I get it. College is stressful with all that time spent procrastinating from homework. Maybe, just maybe, as a break between sleeping and eating it might be interesting to check out a debate and educate yourself about the possible future of our nation. It might make you question the sake of our nation in a time where the biggest issue seems to be that Mexico won't agree to pay to build a wall.

Most college students decide not to participate in the election because of the belief that their single vote won't make a difference, however those single votes can add up very quickly. Forty-six million people between the ages of 18-29 years old are eligible to vote, while 39 million seniors are eligible to vote, yet of these 46 million people, only 21 percent of these individuals actually take the time to vote. This is evidence that we, as a young population, are capable of deciding the next four years for this country.

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote." -George Jean Nathan