I can't believe it has been 8 years since you were elected. I was just a kid. I had little-to-no knowledge about politics other than what I had heard from other people. Now that I look back, it's quite sad what the kids in my class used to say. The sad thing wasn't what I remember the other kids saying, the sad thing is I knew they were repeating things they heard their own parents say. It was awful. Twelve-year-old kids roamed the halls at my school saying things such as "We're all going to die if Obama is our President." My parents never forced any type of religious or political views on me, so I was left to form my own opinions.

I watched you have a fantastic start to your presidency. You set the tone very early, and I'm so happy that you did. Once you were in office and went to work, I noticed the kids at school stopped saying awful things about you. If they did say awful things about you, they would be wild, ignorant claims. I was still young, but this is how I first recognized what a great president you were.

Around 2007, Kokomo, Indiana, my hometown, was crumbling. People were genuinely scared. Thousands of people were being laid off from jobs. I remember so many people talking about how bad it was. It was so bad that Kokomo was labeled one of "America's Fastest-Dying Towns."

The unemployment rate hit 20 percent, which at the time was one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. With your help, you turned the economy in Kokomo around. You bailed out Chrysler, and without it, our city's economy would have experienced a huge setback. Many argued that you should have just allowed the businesses to die, which would have left Kokomo destroyed.

I, like many others, can't thank you enough for what you did. However, I couldn't help but be disappointed by the reactions of the people who didn't want to see you be president. They still did not respect you after you saved some of their lives.

It is very hard for me to accept the fact that you were still unpopular in Kokomo after you had helped the city climb back from devastation. The rescuing of Kokomo was complete when the economy soon skyrocketed after your decision to save the industries. And when you came back to visit, you left us with a fantastic speech. Specifically when you said: "Anybody who doesn't believe in the Midwest -- have 'em come to Kokomo."

Despite the job you did with Kokomo, the district still chose Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. I hope you know that what you did in Kokomo was not for nothing. Although many people in Kokomo refuse to recognize what you did for us, I always will. You truly saved my hometown.

Our part of the country is also not very well-known for its progressiveness in LGBT acceptance, largely due to the traditional Christian values that prevail over the Midwest. You will always be known as the president who strongly pushed for advancements of the rights of the LGBT community. You showed us that a practicing Christian can certainly support LGBT people. Thank you for ending the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy within the military.

You supported marriage equality and efforts to put an end to conversion therapy. Lastly, you named Stonewall, the birthplace of the modern gay-rights movement, a national monument. Your passion and desire to help the LGBT community gain more rights helped our nation take several steps forward. As a strong supporter of the LGBT community, it was beautiful to see them gain certain rights they had been asking for for a very long time. I hope our nation doesn't take steps backward when it comes to what you have done in this field. Our state and this country as a whole still have a long way to go on this issue, but you helped us take steps in the right direction while you were in office. And I thank you for that.

Since I was too young to remember George Bush's presidency, you would be the first president to set an example for me. And I feel very blessed to have had you as a demonstration of how to be a president of this country. You display all of the best qualities in a person. You are a natural leader, a brilliant speaker, caring, inspirational, patient, kind, humble, and intelligent. You have a beautiful family that shows us how graceful and loving families can be, a family that any heartland Midwesterner from a small town could admire. Your compassion and way of feeling the pain others feel sets you apart from so many people.