This is an exciting presidential election for myself for one major reason: I can vote. Having the privilege to vote is a big responsibility and I made a vow to myself that I would always be an informed voter. This year I am confidently voting for our president, Barack Obama. Not only has the President changed the course of history just by being the first black president in America, he has continued to listen to the voice of the people and work for us. Many believe that he delivered empty promises and has not brought along much change, but I strongly disagree. I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert at politics, and I try to respect all opinions before I strongly defend one. However, I truly believe that Obama is the man we, as a people, need to turn this country around. He is an extraordinary president, in that he came into the position with the enormous weight of a crashed economy and a panicked population, and immediately began implementing his reform policies. Although he must combat pressure from the Republican Party time and time again for reasons that seem unnecessary and counteractive, he does not give up on his dream for this country. Although I am fond of many of his policies, I will focus on three that I am extremely passionate about in this essay. I attend Washington University in St. Louis and this previous year I was accepted into a program that focused on Latin American countries, in particular Hispanic immigrants and their role in our country. I have read the devastating stories of undocumented youth and mothers and fathers who are deported and torn from their families after living in the United States for many years. It broke my heart. I am a strong supporter of Obama’s policy to allow young immigrants who entered illegally before the age of 16 to be eligible for work permits. This plan involves many other details and implications, but this point drove home for myself. Another enormous reason why I am an Obama supporter is his public support for the gay population. I have grown up in a very liberal home and I have many gay friends and family friends who I have always seen as equal. I have witnessed first hand the struggles they encounter trying to obtain rights that seem blatant (like marriage) to heterosexuals. We are a modern and free country. How dare we take away rights because of something as personal as an individual’s sexuality? Finally, I support Obama because he is tirelessly working to reform our student loan policies. It is absolutely appalling what America is doing to their future generation, the people who will soon be driving the country, by placing mind-boggling amounts of loans on the brightest of the population. I am speaking about this as someone who has first handedly seen what a “financial-aid package” will do to someone’s future. I am convinced that sooner rather than later, we will have another economy crash if something drastic does not change in the way we fund our youth’s education. Having said that, I am eager to see Obama’s capabilities of changing our current Student Loan policy. Go Obama!