I am a Democrat. I watched Hillary Clinton lose the 2016 election on Tuesday night at school with the Young Democrats and Teenage Republicans clubs. When I first got to school at seven that night, the energy in the room was so positive and light. I had gone to a Tim Kaine rally on Monday night and despite waiting in line for four hours, and I had so much fun. The week was going incredible for the Young Dems so far; we had been canvassing and making phone calls like nobody's business. We thought Wednesday would be a day of celebrating the election of our first female president. Obviously, we were wrong. I stayed up until three in the morning on election night, hoping to God that Hillary would find a way to win. I knew it was over around eleven that night, but I stayed up anyways. The next day felt surreal, and I'll admit that I cried a few times before dragging myself out of bed to get ready for the day.

I know I'm only 17, but that doesn't mean I'm too young to have political opinions. I know what I want for both myself and this country, the kind of rights I expect to have as a woman living in America. I am pro-choice, I support gay marriage and equal rights for everyone, no matter what their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is. I believe in women's rights and the right for me to make choices regarding MY body, not the government. I put so much time and effort into the Hillary campaign and watching her lose broke my heart. Many people I know felt the same way. People hugged me when they saw me in the hallway that Wednesday, knowing how upset I was about this.

One thing I believe to be very important, especially now, is remaining positive. Yes, I am upset by the results of this election and yes, I am scared for what is going to happen to this country and how people treat one another, but I am also trying to stay positive about it. Here are my reasons to stay positive after this insane election:

1) The Democratic Party may have lost this election, but that doesn't mean that's the end for us. There are so many elections that we can still fight for and get involved in. I am an active member in the Young Democrats club at my school, and I plan on staying involved for the rest of the year. Being part of such an active group in my community makes me happy, and it's something I look forward to continuing.

2) My generation is changing the world. We're a generation that accepts people for who they are and fights for what they believe in and that's something I'm proud of. People my age get a lot of crap about being so obsessed with technology and that we have a limited list of things we truly care about, but they couldn't be more wrong. Technology is aiding our generation in getting a wider understanding of things and meeting people around the country and the world who are similar and different from us in many ways. Using technology has helped us become passionate about things and voice our opinions. I know that when my generation becomes the working class of America, I will be proud of us and the things we come to accomplish.

3) I have friends and family that love me. No matter what our political affiliations are, we support and love one another. I've seen this election end friendships and make households tense because of political views. At the end of the day, my friends and family love each other and our relationships are stronger than political differences.

4) We'll be okay.

I will say that I'm nervous about what Donald Trump will do as president, but we live in an amazing country with so many opportunities to voice your opinion and make a difference. I feel that I am lucky to be in a country as open and opportunistic as America, and I think that everything that's going to happen in the next four years will turn out okay.