The 2016 presidential election will definitely go down in history as one of the most monumental, as well as one of the oddest elections in the history of our country. Elections have always interested me and I've paid especially close attention to this one. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I am going to tell you why this election is so important.

This election will determine what we stand for as a country.

Who do we stand for? Are we a country who bands together and works to help others? Or are we going to be a country who is more focused on our individual interests?

This election will determine what is in our hearts.

Throughout this election we have seen a different type of presidential candidate. We have to decide. Are we going to be a country who solves our problems by name calling and humiliation? Or are we going to be a country who works together despite our differences?

This election will determine what our stance is on gender equality.

In politics women tend to get the short end of the stick, and many times politicians both male and female don't fight for their best interest. This election will reveal to us are we going to be a country who values both genders equally. Are we going to revert back to the days where women were expected to be quiet? Is this country going to take stand against rape culture and put an and to it? This election will play a key factor in this issue.

This elections will decide what future generations will be like.

This election is like no other and has the ability to decide what the younger generation are going to grow up to be like. Are they going to grow up in a country where there is hatred and prejudice? Or are they going to grow up surrounded by hope and resilience in a place where they are accepted for who they are? Hopefully future generations will be filled with people focused on moving forward.

This election will teach us what it really means to be "great."

Does "great" mean being better than others? Or can it mean constantly improving? I think, as a country, we have focused on being what we have been in the past. We have never been perfect as a country and we should always be looking for ways to improve and grow. We should never ignore our past because we can learn so much from it, but that doesn't mean we need to fall back. This election will determine what we believe the word "great" means. We have the power to be great, not because we revert back to our past but because we are able to learn from it.

In conclusion, vote.