I'll never forget the night Donald Trump became our president-elect. My roommate and I had pushed ourselves to stay up until the late hours, hanging on to a small strand of hope that maybe, just maybe, the remaining swing states could act against all odds and give Hillary Clinton the lift she needed. And then I saw the words flash on the corner of my screen from the New York Times: "BREAKING NEWS: Donald J. Trump is the new President-elect of the United States." Across the room, my roommate's laptop began to stream live footage of Trump celebrating his victory along with a sea of Republicans donning "Make America Great Again" hats, cheering in ecstasy. The two of us sat there in silence, unable to articulate the whirlwind of emotions going on in our heads. And we sobbed our hearts out because we were scared, shocked, devastated, and most importantly we were frightened because not only did we now live in a world where Donald Trump was our president, we lived in a world where the people had chosen him.

Fast-forward two and a half months. Barack Obama left the White House with approval ratings almost a high as they were when he first came into office. On the other side, Donald Trump's approval ratings continue to hit new lows. Initially, these statistics frustrated me because the people (technically the electoral college) chose Trump- if they didn't approve of him, why vote for him? Now, however, it gives me hope. It gives me hope because I know that my fellow citizens and I are aware of this man's flaws and shortcomings and the many countless reasons for which he should not be president. Following the election, millions of people across the world asked the same question: Where did we go wrong? We went wrong when we failed to do our job as citizens of this country. Being in a democracy is about more than just voting. It's about being engaged and staying engaged with the world around us, participating in political discussion, educating one another, showing peers who say "I don't really care that much about politics" why they should, and so much more. As someone who really wanted to vote but couldn't due to age, nothing was more painful than seeing the countless people who stayed home on election day and failed to do their civic duty. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again. We cannot and will not.

To those fearful of their rights being taken away, I promise you that we the people will fight for you. The hundreds of thousands of people who partook in the women's march were only a taste of what is to come and a reminder that this is not Donald Trump's America but our America. If Trump threatens your right to marry who you love, we will march. If he tries to take away your family, we will march. If he fails to adequately address the Black Lives Matter movement and countless other instances of racism seen across this country, we will march.

If you're reading this and think marching is not enough, do something about it. Contact your local legislators and politicians. Attend town hall meetings. Join a political organization. Organize rallies. Run for office.

The foundation of this democracy begins with "We the People." Let us ensure that it does not end that way too.