I still remember sitting in my middle school history class that day; it was the day President Barack Obama was inaugurated into office. Wow, that was already eight years ago. Time really has flown by, hasn't it? I was around twelve years old at the time. It was the race between the democratic candidate Barack Obama and the republican candidate John McCain. During this period I felt that I was too young to have strong beliefs on certain sides yet. I was still learning and needed to grow up a little more in order to come to terms with my own affiliations. So the election between Obama and McCain was me asking my parents which side they were on and that was that. Though, when watching the newly elected Barack Obama make his first speech into office as president that one day in my history class, I recall feeling pleased and at ease knowing that this man won the office.

As time went on and I grew up, I started to grow within my beliefs and values. Knowing that a man like President Obama was leading this country gave me a happiness that I know many people felt as well. He believes in an equality and peace where we are all the same despite color, race, religion, class, or sex. That we just need to get along and respect each other in this country. If we aren't standing together, then we aren't leading by example for the many other countries in this world to follow.

He wanted to create a change to make the United States better for each and everyone of us. He wanted to spread a change filled with goodness for all. He once quoted that, "change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." This quote has always really spoken to me because he reminds us "that we are the change that we seek." This is our time and we have the power to make a change if we push ourselves to actively pursue a difference in this world.

President Obama reminded us that we are all immigrants within the U.S.. Calling us to love everyone no matter who you are and where you come from because "we were strangers once, too." He reminded us that there is no such thing as a liberal America, or a conservative America - there's the United States of America. Of course, there were mistakes along the way, but what president doesn't make mistakes? It's highly unlikely and unrealistic for someone to make a right decision every day of their life. We make mistakes as humans, and that's okay. Though, we must always learn from our mistakes and strive to be better.

I know that this man took the path as president not for himself, but for the benefit of others. To make a difference, and to make a change. He legalized gay marriage, saved us during the 2008 recession and called for wall street reform (right after stepping into office), the elimination of Osama Bin Laden, assembled more tense sanctions on Iran in order to deter their nuclear program, doubled spending on clean energy research and invested more in renewable technology, and served without a scandal. There are so many more accomplishments that this man has completed, but these are the few that will always stand out to me during his time in office.

So this is my farewell; my farewell to a man who never failed to inspire me, and give this country hope.