This past week, the British people voted leave the European Union in a tight race, ultimately the vote coming down to 52 to 48 percent. Even before the British people made up their minds, there were predictions from economists, politicians, and other professionals about the plethora of ramifications that this decision would bring forth. Now, the British people and the rest of the world are experiencing these predictions come true first hand.

As a young American adult, it may not seem clear why you should so deeply understand and care about the EU referendum, other than maybe your semester abroad in London this fall may be a bit cheaper. However, the Brexit is going to have lasting consequences on the American people, and the voting in this referendum can teach us a lesson or two about voting in our upcoming election.

The UK has the fifth largest economy in the world, and is a strong trade partner with the United States. Immediately, the world felt the impact of the referendum when the British pound fell to it’s lowest value in 30 years,1 British Pound is currently worth about 1.37 US dollars (at the time of writing), the 8th lowest its been in all of US history. According to CNBC, $2,100,000,000,000 was lost in global stocks as of today. The current instability and fear in the British economy could lead to a recession, taking America with it. This instability and uncertainty could spread to the rest of Europe, where other countries may doubt their EU membership.

A lot of people are now dealing with a decision that they fervently didn’t want to happen. Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU, but because of the other United Kingdom votes, they are forced to leave as well. And the people aren’t happy about it. The voters’ main concern in the Brexit was the closing of borders to immigrants, something that may sound familiar to Americans who have heard a certain orange-skinned presidential candidate’s platform. Donald Trump, who was in Scotland at the time working on his new golf course, heard the Brexit news and tweeted:

Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back, just like we will take America back. No games!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June">https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/7462721... 24, 2016

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Well, considering Scotland voted to remain, Scottish people had a few creative replies to Mr. Trump:

.@realDonaldTrump Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in Europe you toured f*cktrumpet
— Finn den Hertog (@FinndH) June">https://twitter.com/FinndH/status/7462911807747645... 24, 2016

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The United Kingdom's decision may cause Trump to double-down on his strict anti-immigration and nationalistic policies in his campaign after the evident success that such strategies had in the UK.

Something looming over all of us come November is the fear of how to deal with an elected candidate that we did not choose or want. The fact is, most of the young people voted to remain in the EU, and the numbers went down as age group increased. However, the groups that most prevalently voted to disrupt the status quo and leave the EU are the ones who will have to live with consequences for the least amount of time.

This vote can act as a lesson to all young Americans: it’s important to go out and vote and understand who you are voting for, because who you choose will have the power to shape your future. The most googled thing in the UK after the results of the referendum was announced was “what is the EU.” People need to be educated on what they are voting for or they will have to pay the price of their ignorance and bad decisions, especially young people.