Elections are always such momentous occasions. Not only for our country, but also as a rite of passage for so many young people. I cast my first Presidential ballot as an undergrad, and I remember feeling SO proud as I walked around town with my "I voted" sticker. I had the opportunity to impact life in our country, and I had taken it. It was incredibly empowering.
When Obama won in '08 I was at the University of Illinois and you could hear the students shouting, singing and cheering long into the night. It was electric. For days the students floated on air. They had voted. Their voices were heard, they had made a difference. I have faith that my students tomorrow will be similarly excited.
Being in a neighborhood during the election isn't quite as exciting as being on a college campus. But it was still such a thrill to get my "I voted" sticker, to see the pictures of stickers from across the country popping up on Facebook, and to chat (very casually, of course!) with people at work about the election process. I didn't get quite as bouncy as I did after my very first election, but I do have to say the sky did look just a little more blue.
