First and foremost I want to start out by saying that I am not, and do not claim to be, a person that is extensively well-versed in the political arena. However, in light of the results of the 2016 Presidential Election, and the effects that have come after it, I feel the need to share a couple of thoughts and feelings I have regarding the whole subject.

To be clear, I felt that neither candidate was really the "right" pick in this election. Controversy and scandal plagued both campaigns relentlessly over the past year and a half. At times, watching the debates and watching and reading the news about the election and the stories and words I heard, made me feel as though I was watching a reality T.V. show. It felt almost comical at times, until it sunk in that this was not just some poor reality show, but rather the race for the next PRESIDENT. Even I, who does not have gobs of knowledge about politics could tell that it was a mess from the start. It was crazy, unpredictable, and erased everything that anyone knew about political campaigns.

While I was never particularly fond of either candidate, I really could not wrap my head around Donald Trump actually being the next President of the United States. He has no prior experience, and repeatedly offends minorities, mocks people with disabilities, is against LGBTQ communities, and promotes women not having a choice about what they do with their OWN bodies. And, on another note, the man said, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." I mean, come on.

For me, really, the thing that set me off, was, as a women, I just felt that I could not support a man like Donald Trump. With remarks he has made, especially ones like saying, "A women MUST be hot in order to be a journalist", is beyond insulting and demeaning, especially for women who share the passion and career goal of becoming a journalist like myself. It is hard enough to be taken seriously in professional fields as it is, and I know that I want my work to speak louder than my appearance or any other superficial thing. He has also called women "fat pigs" and "slobs", with even more outrageous remarks made against them at the following site. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/18-real-things... And, we all already know about his videos that surfaced, talking about inappropriately touching women. What is even more troubling to me, is the mere thought of a man revoking the ability for women to have rights to their own bodies, and to make decisions that are best suited for them.

My heart is also with those others that have been offended by his ignorant comments regarding minorities, calling Hispanics "rapists" and wanting to "build a wall" and calling Muslims "A problem in America". What a great role model to set for those that watch him so closely, especially children.

I do not believe that ALL people who voted for Donald Trump are bad people, or are all racist, homophobic, or sexist. I think many people were just fed up with the traditional political candidates, and feel the system has failed them, and that this would be the answer; it would be a breath of fresh air and they were sick and tired of the government they have been seeing. But, I do believe that there are extremists that voted for him, that do believe in these things, and that scares me.

I do not believe that Hillary Clinton was the perfect choice either. She had her fair share of controversy, deleted e-mails and other investigations that were all swept away. Many people hate her, and that was shown in the way this race ended. However, whether you voted for her or not, like her as a person or not, her concession speech to Donald Trump after his victory, showed grace and composure that is hard to show, especially under those circumstances. I applaud her immensely for that. I also applaud her for her optimism and message to women, and especially youth, saying, "please never stop believing that fighting for what is right is worth it", and understanding that there will be successes, as well as setbacks in life.

After watching everything unfold over the last year and a half, and now seeing what has happened in the days since the President has been elected, I am scared. No, I am not solely scared at the idea that Donald Trump is the President of this country. What I am scared about is the reactions of those since he has been elected. I am scared at how scared myself and other women feel about the prospect of losing the choice to choose. I am scared that minorities feel that they may be deported. I am scared reading things online and hearing about extremist Trump-Supporters and even children who have been in blackface, waving confederate flags, and yelling combinations of racial slurs while talking about Trumps idea of "building a wall". I am scared at the fear that the LGBTQ has that they won't be able to be with the ones they love. I am scared at all of the fighting and hate I see filling my social media feeds between people who are FRIENDS, simply because of their differing choice in candidate and their views. I am scared that the past few days has felt like people are in mourning, completely devastated over this result. I am scared at the utter fear in people, whether it be for their safety, their loved ones' safety, or the safety of this country. I am scared at the way the outcome of this election has divided the people of this country, and brought out issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia that is constantly tried to be downplayed and said no longer exists, when it is now being brought back to the surface, clearly existing, hate being demonstrated by both democrats and republicans alike.

I am scared, and I know I am not alone in that.

Now is the time that we as American people need to come together and stand united, regardless of our views on our new elected President. President Obama said in his speech yesterday after Trump's victory that, "The path this country has taken has never been a straight line, we zig and zag, and sometimes we move in ways that some people thinks is forwards, and others think is moving back, and that's okay." We are never going to all agree on what is best for our country, but we at least need to have a mutual respect for everyone, no matter the race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of our peers, because at the end of the day, we all have more in common than not, such as the fact that we live in this great country. Donald Trump is just one person, and while he is one of tremendous power, there are more of us than him, and it is our choice to be the type of people we want to be and to fight for what we want, and he can't take that away. So, regardless of your view or whether you voted for him or not, know that he can never take that away, and that we are better united than divided.