I was in the 5th grade when President Obama was sworn in. I am now a freshmen in college. I have seen him campaign, win, and win again. I have had a strong, diplomatic, and kind leader to look up to while I grew up. I am proud that he was my president. President Obama set a high standard of what it should look like to hold the office of the president of the United States. Today, for me, and many others, is a day of mourning. As we swear in a new president, it is hard to let go of the greatness we have had in these last 8 years. I am thankful to have grown up in the era of Barack Obama.

So, thank you, Obama. Thank you for passing the affordable care act, and covering 30 million previously uninsured Americans. Thank you for passing the stimulus plan, creating new jobs, and in doing so keeping a roof over my family, and many other families, heads. Thank you for ending the war in Iraq. Thank you for declaring that love is love, and setting a precedent that proved love will always win over hate. Thank you for telling me that my rights as a woman really do matter. Thank you for telling the world that climate change really does exist. Thank you for Michelle Obama.

These, to me, are just a few highlights of a job well done. Words cannot do enough to describe how thankful I truly am for all President Obama has done for the land of the free. As we enter a new presidential era, one filled with skepticism and unease, I can do nothing but applaud the presidency for the last 8 years. Through trials and criticism, Obama has never gone low. He remains a figure that I will look up to for the rest of my life, and a true voice of our nation. So, thank you, Obama. Thank you for showing us what a president should look like.