I don't think there has been a more talked about week in the history of America since Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar.

Donald Trump is now the president-elect of the United States of America.

There has been a wide-range of emotions seen across social media, major news channels, and even when talking to your neighbor next door. People are ecstatic, excited for the next four years to come. People are terrified, wondering if their Muslim colleague will be discriminated against, or if their children will be bullied at school because of the color of their skin. People are confused and uncertain, not knowing what a Republican-dominated Congress and a Republican presidency will have in store.

Many people are thinking, "what now?".

What do we do now that a political outsider is in Washington? What do we do now that the amount of openly racist acts being carried out across America has skyrocketed the past couple of days? What do we do now when this election has divided friends, peers, and even families?

Here's what we do America: we bridge the gap.

Talking to one of my campus pastors this week, I was in tears. The things president-elect Trump has said about Mexican people, and immigrants in general, has caused me deep hurt. My campus pastor told me something I've been thinking about a lot this week: the worst thing you can do is to stay silent.

We live in a place where free speech is a commonly exerted right. I have the right to say, "Double-stuffed oreos are better than regular oreos." I have the right to say, "This election hurt me...this election made me question who I am as a proud Mexican-American woman." A lot of folks have a lot to say right now. So, how can we bridge the gap?

We have to take a posture of understanding. If you really want people to listen to you, if you desire to be understood, the first step is to take a posture of understanding. Take a second and try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Ask questions. Try to understand your neighbor. See where they are coming from, and they'll be a lot more open to hearing where you are coming from.

I do not think that any of the racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, derogatory, misogynistic language Donald Trump has said during his campaign should be the language of a world leader. If you argue that Donald Trump has not said any of these things, go talk to the people who feel discriminated and marginalized by the election of Mr. Trump. Then come back to me and tell me that everything Donald Trump has said was okay.

To conclude this, I have a message for Donald Trump: how are you going to make a divided country "great" again? Show me why I should trust you. Show me how you're going to have the best interest in the lives of all Americans. Show me how you will make America a better place for a young, educated, Latina without openly insulting my gender, culture, and where I come from. Be the example of how to bridge this enormous divide in our nation.

America is sick, and Mr. Trump, you're the doctor on duty.