I am surrounded by thousands of people at a park that is only about a mile from my college. Excitement and passion for the future of America buzzes all around my two friends and I as we stand in the middle of the crowd, waiting on the Vice President to make his appearance on stage.
Representatives Kathy Castor, Charlie Crist, and Patrick Murphy are standing towards the back of the stage as the mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman, has the honor of introducing the Vice President of the United States to the stage.
As Joe Biden approaches the podium, people in the crowd behind me go crazy, and I have never felt a more a part of something than I did standing with these thousands of patriotic people.
“Seeing the Vice President is something I’ll never forget, especially the day before this historic election,” says USFSP sophomore Annie Schneider. “Though he only spoke for  a short time, Biden was captivating. My favorite part was when he discussed how America is already great. He shared a story of when he was visiting with a Chinese leader who described America in one word: possibility. That’s powerful,” says Schneider.
Another USFSP student, Danielle Lysik, describes the rally as “simply phenomenal.” “It was so awesome getting to see the Vice President speak, even if it was just for a few minutes,” says Lysik. “Leaving the rally, I felt even more sure of my decision to vote for Hillary.”
For many other students at USFSP, this was their first election with the actual ability to vote and make an impact on our nation.
“It was emotional. I felt empowered. When you vote, it’s exciting, but after you vote, you feel nervous to hear the results,” says Amber Garrison, first time voter.
“It was a really easy and kind of interesting experience the different mechanisms of the voting process working together and seeing the camaraderie between people,” says Mrs. Bell, a senior at USFSP.
Getting to the bottom line, we are a nation of unity no matter who leads us; without the people, there would be nothing to lead. I want to remind everybody who reads this that even if the person you wanted to get elected didn’t get chosen for a leadership position, you have the opportunity that many other individuals in the world do not have- the right to vote.It’s okay to be disappointed with the turnout, but never forget that we are a nation of possibility, as described by Joe Biden, an important leader that will go down in the history of our country.
HC XOXO
Hayley Garron
all photos courtesy of Hayley Garron.