This year was my first midterm election and I was fueled with excitement and determination. The presidential election back in 2016 was my first year voting and I was new to politics. Two years later I made sure to delve into politics and learn about every candidate that stood for everything I believed in. Yesterday, I woke up at 6 am to go to the nearest polls. Standing in line to receive my ballot, I felt a surge of excitement because this time I was ready to elect politicians that really want to help fix the injustices in our society.

As I left the polls I anxiously waited for the results and I was immensely overjoyed with the results. Now I am not embarrassed or bashful to share my political views, my social media is evidence of this. Now get ready to read a long list of accomplishments: Democrats won back the House! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman elected to Congress and a Latina, Ayanna Pressley is the first Black woman elected to Congress in Massachusetts, Jred Polis is the first openly gay governor, Sharice Davids is the first lesbian Native American woman to Congress, and Ilhan Omar is the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.

There are so many more POC and members of the LGBTQIA community that I could keep listing. The midterm elections have given me so much hope for the future and for the issues that we face now in the present. However, there are downsides to the midterm election. The most disappointing were the results of the Texas race, where Beto lost to Ted Cruz. It is important for everyone to take a step back and to look at both the negatives and the positives of this election. The lesson which needs to be learned is that voting is something which everyone needs to continue to do. That being said, if you didn't vote in this election please vote in the next one, because, Yes, your vote counts.