On most days, because I typically speak, read and write in English, my peers forget that I am an international student. This came up a lot more in recent weeks, as the discussions about the two main political party candidates grew more heated. As my friends receive their absentee ballots in the mail, they ask whom I will be voting for.

“Who are you voting for? You’re voting for her, right? Have you sent in your ballot yet?”

And every time, I would answer, “No, I can’t vote. I am not an American citizen.”

I am a Hong Kong kid, born and raised, with a dual Hong Kong-Canadian citizenship. I spent the first fourteen years of my life in Hong Kong before going to boarding school in upstate New York; this year marks my fourth year under the American school system. It probably does not shock you that the American government system still confuses me even though I took a U.S. history course during my junior year of high school (for the record this is nothing like the Hong Kong government system). I am embarrassed to say that I do not know a lot about the policies and logistics. What I do know is that there are a lot of jobs, lives and homes at stake.

You do not have to be American to care about this; you can care about the election regardless of your race, ethnicity or citizenship. I watched some of the debates, read up on the candidates (condensed versions) and talk to my friends about the election.

This election is important to me. As an international student, considering I spend eight out of twelve months of the year in the States, the next president will still have a fair amount of control over my life.

I don’t want be in a place where I live with the fear of my physical safety. Gun violence is a problem in this country, and we all know it. I don't want to wake up every morning to a news report about a shooting, and worry that my friends' names will be a trending hashtag on Twitter.

I don't want to live with the fear of being deported. With my dual citizenships, I know I have the option to return to Hong Kong or move to Canada, but I know many of my friends, who happen to be American immigrants, do not have this privilege.

I don't want to go to school in a country where I would only matter if I have a "young and beautiful piece of ass," where my looks will define who I am and my working ability. I am lucky to have been to an all-girls school that taught me that I am not defined by my appearance, but rather by my intelligence and hard work, though many young girls out there did not have this privilege.

I do not agree with all of Clinton's policies, and while she does have her flaws, I believe that she is qualified and ready to be the next president of the United States.

The America I grew up learning about is “the land of the free.” Voting is the most meaningful way to express your voice. Some choose to abstain their vote because “this election is hopeless,” whereas others take their vote for granted. Even after the women’s suffrage movement gained the vote in 1920, many races have faced obstacles to voting, my own included. While one vote may not make a difference, a constantly expanding group of eligible voters abstaining their right to vote can. We are lucky to live in a society where voting is a relatively simple process, and we should take advantage of that.

So, please, if you can, vote.