The first episode of "Saturday Night Live" after the election opened up on a serious note with Kate McKinnon who played Hillary Clinton throughout the election season on the show in a white pantsuit playing "Hallelujah" on piano by Leonard Cohen who had recently passed away. After she finished the song, McKinnon looked directly at the camera and said, "I'm not giving up and neither should you."

The days following the election, I wasn't angry or even upset, but just in shock. I felt numb to the events that had unfolded as I tried to make sense of what happened like it was some sort of a bad dream. It didn't really seem like there was a silver-lining to any of this, but I found the most comfort in the fact that although this may be a setback, we as a nation will always continue to work towards the fair and equal treatment of all.

While the public sentiment may sway, Americans will always strive for the betterment of society in the long-term. Think about the progress that has been made in the past century. That didn't happen overnight or rather over the course of four years. It seemed like many people gave up following the election and chose to deny Donald Trump being our president-elect by using hashtags or taking to the street. While I did sympathize with them briefly, that's not who we are as a country. We are a country who believes in the political process, the passing of the torch to a new leader, and respect for those who lead.

Although this is far from the outcome that myself and many desired, maybe we should take this as a lesson of patience. A lesson that progress takes time and setbacks do happen, but they should never be a reason to stop trying, but instead a reason to push harder. So, I'm not going to give up and neither should you.