For years, I have had the inclination that the system is broken, and I had resigned to the fact that it would never change. Bernie Sanders taught me that change is possible and that it is bigger than any one person and it takes the will of a nation to get the ball rolling. Most importantly, Bernie Sanders has taught me that if you are passionate, persistent and consistent in your pursuit, you can stand up to the odds that are stacked against you.

Before May of 2015, I had no idea who Bernie Sanders was. For all I knew he was just another politician, a talking head. I had no idea he was going to start a revolution. He has stood up to Wall Street, and the billionaire class by refusing to take their bribes—or what other candidates call “campaign contributions.” He inspired people like you and I to dip into our pockets to make minuscule contributions because he understands that 99 percent of the country is not the billionaire class, and that the billionaire class is not an honest representation of our country's population.

Bernie Sanders has taught me about humility. Trump made his way down an escalator to throngs of cheering people. Clinton released a video that tugged at the heartstrings of our nation, attempting to show us that she has goals just like the rest of us, and that her struggles are just as real as ours. Sanders took a quick break from his job in the senate to announce that he was running for president, but he had to keep it short because he had to get back to work. There were no pats on the back, no posturing, just a man who has a job to do—it just so happens his job is to make our country a better place to live.

Bernie Sanders has taught me not to give up. So many times the mainstream media has counted him out, and called for him to leave the race but he has persevered. He has been blacked out, locked out, accused, and has fallen victim to the establishment. Just yesterday, Clinton proclaimed herself the victor and claimed the title of democratic nominee. Rolling Stone, CNN, hell the AP gave her the victory on Monday—the day before the primaries closed. What did Bernie do? He made it clear that he is going to take this fight all the way to Philadelphia to hash it out at the Democratic National Convention. This is a person that I want in the oval office fighting for my rights, my lively-hood, and my child’s future. This is the person I want to represent the country that I love.

Bernie Sanders, I want to say thank you. Thank you for giving me hope that our country can change. Thank you for starting this revolution. Thank you for your resilience when others would have backed down. Thank you for being a political figure that I can be proud of. Thank you for not being the lesser of two evils. Thank you for being a candidate that I believe in and actually wanted to vote for. Thank you Bernie Sanders.