#readyforHillary
The Clintons sat onstage, looking ever the poised and tidy family – as first families do. I was one in a sea of hundreds of students waiting expectantly for the closing keynote of the Clinton Foundation’sCGIU Conferenceto commence. All three Clintons were there. So was Jimmy Kimmel. Some had arrived extra early just to get front row seats. The press section in front of my row was already bustling. Cameras were clicking, pens were ready. It was 2014, and Hillary Clinton had not yet made into reality #readyforhillary, but there was already speculation. I had come all the way to Arizona to attend the conference, road-tripping with my conservative father who cared more about the distance between Phoenix and the picture-friendly Antelope Canyon than any mention of the “lying-Clintons.”
Sitting in front of the former presidential family, albeit several rows back, I was awestruck. Somehow, the tone of the event found a balance between the power of the people onstage and the modesty of the many student onlookers hoping to grasp even a single word of inspiration to return to college with. When time came for an open Q&A, the playing field was leveled. My favorite part was when agirl asked Hillary Clinton, “If you don’t represent women in politics in America as future president, who will?” (insert five praise emojis).
What a question. Not a single person in ASU’s Gammage Auditorium was silent as cheers erupted across the room. Were we really going to be the ones Hillary would confirm her campaign to? Bill hilariously laughed as Hillary, a mixture of flustered and amused, phrased together an ambiguous answer as she so often did the following months after until her official announcement to run. I hope she remembered that question and what it meant to young women like me.
That weekend was the closest I’d ever been to a presidential candidate. Today was the closest I’ve ever felt.
There are no words to describe the feeling of being a student, a proud daughter of immigrants, a woman right now. My primary vote through Democrats Abroad went to Bernie Sanders, but my conviction today goes out to Hillary Clinton for this empowering moment in history. I truly am an emotional wreck every time I re-watch any of the DNC speeches - not just for purely superb oration, but for the reality check that this actually is happening.
In kindergarten, how many times have our “when-I-grow-up’s” been basically being anything but president of the United States? On the playground, how many times did we assume the position of cheerleading during P.E., as if our contribution to conventionally male-dominated sports was minimal? In the classroom, how many times did we shy away from raising our hands, second-guessing how we phrased our questions? In middle school, how many times did the guys make fun of the three males in our home economics class for being “girly” – as if that were an insult? In high school, how many times did our teachers and peers favor so much more the outspoken guys than the outspoken girls – whereupon one was considered enthusiastic and the other, annoying? In college interviews, how many times did we try to sound eager, but not, God forbid, too desperate – for it was apparently our manner of speaking and not our personal achievements that could determine our fate? In social settings, how many times did we feel judged by the way we looked and what we wore, not for how or what we thought – because our opinions took a backseat if our counterpart was buying us a drink or paying for dinner? In our emails, how many times did we rewrite lines over and over again trying to find a right combination of overly-excited exclamation marks and firm periods? In our daily lives, how many times have we felt that being a woman can be, simply put, pretty damn hard?
This time, we finally have someone to represent us – someone who is not just a woman, but more importantly, the most qualified to hold the highest position of state. I am so happy to be a woman today, so ready for pantsuits to take over the Oval office, so optimistic about our shattering glass ceiling, and so #readyforHillary.
