It was a cold Tuesday night, November 4, 2008, when I was 12 years old watching history being made from my living room. Barack Obama did more than just become the 44th president; he became the first African American to be elected to the Oval Office.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
This profoundly impacted me. Seeing a minority elected to the highest political position in our country gave me hope, that I too could succeed and thrive in a land known to have endless opportunities. My parents are immigrants from El Salvador and the Philippines, so it made me believe that minorities can be successful and become inspiring contributors to the world.
Barack Obama had the vision, passion and youthfulness to make impact and the desire to make the lives of Americans better from when he entered the office to when he left it. The unemployment rate before Obama took office was at 7.8%, and by the time his tenure was over, it had dropped significantly to 4.7%. It was during his term that unemployment rates dropping helped people like my mother obtain a second job to be able to make ends meet and pay off our monthly expenses. What separates our former Commander in Chief from others is his passion to better the world, an overwhelming responsibility for any individual. Yet Barack’s authenticity has influenced many around the world.
With presidential history in the books now, Barack and his wife Michelle are not stopping there. In fact, they continue making strides and making a difference in communities in every city and on a global level with their launch of the Obama Foundation. It is an organization that not only highlights inspiring figures in local and worldwide communities but is working to also empower people to change their own sphere.
On October 31st and November 1st, the Obama Foundation hosted a national summit where they invited civic leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas and create solutions for common problems that they can bring back to empower others. The Obamas are starting their post-presidential run where they left off, continuing to make a difference through this startup for citizenship in the 21st Century. The Obamas are devoted to doing good and their life is an example of it even after the presidency.
