When I was seven years old, in bible camp, we acted out a Baptism. The pastor said “We need a priest,” so I raised my hand, but he told me I could only hold the baby. So I went home grabbed my "Bible" and stood up on my bed. I used Lays Chips as Communion and recited the whole mass word for word. See pastor, I can do it too.
When I was ten years old, in a classroom with green spinning chairs, I was not chosen to carry up the new textbooks. I raised my hand, it was the first to go up, believe me, I was making sure. But the teacher chose him, him and him. So I went home, took all of my siblings books, piled them into my hands and walked across the kitchen. See teacher, I can do it too.
When I was eleven I played on my brother’s hockey team and ate three bowls of cereal before every game because I thought it would make me stronger. During one of our scrimmages, Gary was put in the penalty box for shoving me to the ground because coach said it’s wrong to hit a girl. So when Gary got out, I pushed him over. See coach, I can do it too.
When I was thirteen, before the 8th-grade dance, I wanted to ask Liam to go with me. But my friends told me I had to wait because “asking” was his job. I ended up without a date and so did Liam. I could have done it too.
When I was nine I wanted to fight in the Army when I grew up, but a couple of boys in the school yard said I’d be better as a nurse. But on January 24, 2013, the military's ban on women serving in combat was removed. See guys, I can do it too.
On April 12, 2015, I was nineteen years old in a crowded, small dorm room when Secretary Hillary Clinton announced she would be running for President of the United States of America. My eyes were teary and my heart filled with pride. See, ladies, we can do it too.
But on the morning of November 9, 2016, people were calling Hillary Clinton a loser, and that, I couldn’t let go of. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, you have done everything but lose. You have won the greatest victory American Women have ever seen... Because of you, we will no longer be afraid. We will carry the textbooks even when they tell us we can’t, we will push, we will shove and we will fight when we have to because we are girls. We will ask him to the dance regardless of “rules” because we are women, American women, and if we ever so please, if we ever work as hard as you, we can even become the president.
