When Hillary Clinton gave her concession speech, she said: "And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams." With all my other emotions following the election, this quote stuck with me. This is the childhood and adulthood I have been given by my parents: they have always allowed me to follow my dreams, regardless of how ridiculous and far-fetched they were.

When I was in elementary school, I decided I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. I was an obnoxious and precocious kid, who thought I was special because I was in the fifth grade but reading at a high school level and did what I called "science stuff" with my dad (spoiler alert: I wasn't). I decided I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist because I had just started reading the book series by Kathy Reichs that the TV show Bones is based on. I remember sitting at the kitchen table at dinner, the book next to me in case the conversation became dry, and saying confidently, "I don't want to be a vet anymore. I'm going to be like Temperance Brennan."

My parents shared a look, and my mom smiled. "Okay honey, we'll support you no matter what you want to do." Another spoiler alert: I am in college now, but now to be a forensic anthropologist. I stuck with my original dream to be a veterinarian, though those dreams have evolved somewhat.

My parents always supported me in whatever ridiculous things I wanted to do - double major in biology and animal science with a minor in astrophysics (trust me - I know), run division 1 track with that double major and completely ridiculous minor, but most importantly, going 800 miles away from home for school when I had spent a maximum of a week away from my parents. My parents would just smile to each other, and figure out how we were going to make it happen.

I ended up at that school 800 miles from home; I didn't run division 1 track, and I didn't even double major. In the time from the beginning of my senior year until the end, a lot of things changed. The support from my parents never did though, and that was the only thing that mattered.

I never had a conversation with my parents where they tried to let me down gently, that whatever I was dreaming was improbable, impossible, and completely insane. My parents would look at each other, smile, and help me plan out whatever ridiculous thing I was about to do. That made all the difference in the world - I grew up truly thinking I could do anything I dreamed of doing, and that with a little help from my much wiser parents, it was possible.

I can't imagine my life without supportive parents, I would never have reached for the stars and pushed myself past the boundaries I had set for myself.