The 2016 election will be one of the most important elections in my lifetime, mainly because it will be the first in which I am actually able to vote. I missed voting in last election by a few weeks (my birthday is in late November), so I went through all the highs and lows of 2012 presidential campaign knowing that it'd be completely out of my hands. But this time, I've got it all figured out.

As a voter, I'm your run-of-the-mill 18 to 29-year-old millennial from a liberal arts college. When I'm not digging myself deeper and deeper into debt, I like to spend my free time hanging out on social media to numb myself of the pain of being a person in the 21st century. As a political person, I'm a Democrat that's fed up with the Democratic party. As a result, I'm Feeling the Bern.

Bernie Sanders is the person everybody and nobody is talking about--a Democratic socialist from Vermont. Over his 25 years as a congressman, he "has fought tirelessly for working families, focusing on the shrinking middle class and growing gap between the rich and everyone else." And, based on his current campaign, his aim is staying true. If you watched the Democratic debate, you know what I mean. If you didn't, I'm guessing you at least heard his Internet-shattering sound-bite regarding Hillary Clinton's "damn e-mails":

For most of the country, Sanders is definitely going to be a hard sell. He is bold enough to identify himself as a Democratic socialist and takes a radically liberal stance on all issues from racial equality, to climate change, to the vanishing middle class. But more so, at least to me, he is the candidate I've been hoping would come along, because, frankly, the Obama-Clinton Democratic Party isn't for me anymore.

Before Sanders, I was excited for Hillary Clinton to finally get her shot at the presidency. While the likelihood of a second President Clinton seems pretty high right now, I'm not giving up on Sanders anytime soon. I'm all for supporting women (especially in politics), but I'm not for supporting politicians like Clinton. Besides voting in favor of the Patriot Act and the Iraq War, she's been shady when it comes to social issues--for instance, she opposed gay marriage until 2011. But I get it. This will probably be her last clear shot at the White House and the Democratic Party (as polls indicate) is ready to give her a shot.

But I want a candidate that's fighting for me. I want a candidate I agree with on social issues. I want a candidate who will restore the middle class my family used to be a part of that is quickly being wiped away. I want a candidate that will stop the absurdity of having to pay $60K a year for an college education. I want a candidate that is as angry as I am and eager to take America back from the corporations.

I may be a millennial, but I'm tired of the media and older generations treating my brand of politics like I'm still a child. For instance, this article from the Guardian, entitled "Millennials 'heart' Bernie Sanders," treats the political organizing of young people as if it's a fashion trend, but it's not. The media's belittling of young people is trying to undermine the amount of power we have. There may have been a dip in voter turnout for individuals under 30, but Obama would not have been elected had it not been for the youth vote.

I'm not giving up on Bernie Sanders. I've been told time and time again that he is unelectable. Denouncing capitalism and calling oneself a socialist are the two major no-nos of modern American politics. But he's exactly what I want in a candidate. Immediately after the Democratic debate, I donated to Sander's campaign. I'm just a student; I don't have money to be throwing around, but I strongly believe that my role as a young person wields a lot more power than I've been told. I've found a candidate that represents what I believe in and I refuse to throw in the towel so early. And with polls showing Sanders making major gains on Clinton's lead, who knows?