On Saturday morning, Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and is poised to become the 46th president of the United States.

The future is a terrifying, yet beautiful thing to dream about. As a 15-year-old student and citizen of this country, my future is all I think about. Constantly. Where will I attend college? When will I choose a profession? When will the people of the United States finally be listened to? When will I, a possible future leader of this great nation, finally be heard?

On Saturday, November 7th, at 11 AM, the world erupted. With pure joy. I leaped out of my chair, cereal in hand, when I heard the relieving, monumental news that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would soon lead our country. 

But even after four years of waiting for this moment, I still found it hard to believe that they actually won. President Trump has always been seen as a strong figure. Someone who couldn’t be beaten. But on November 7th, he was defeated.

Biden won fair and square, so I find it really difficult to understand why people question his win. For the most part, I just think that people, including me for some time, have a lot of trouble accepting change. But I really do think that Joe and Kamala are exactly what this country needs to get back up again.

Joe Biden is a great example of change. He may not be perfect, but at least he’s something. And I know that he’ll get us out of this mess. I think that’s why I was so emotional on Saturday. I have been boarded up in my house for seven months and only leave for school. It’s common knowledge that if proper rules had been set forth to contain this virus, the United States would have gone back to normal around this time. So because Biden has already had past experiences in the White House, I really do believe that he’ll know what to do next. Honestly, the American people are in good hands. We’re finally being accounted for. We’re finally being recognized again.

Kamala Harris. The first female vice president and first vice president of color. I’ve always wanted to say that. Harris and her sister, Maya, were raised by their Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan. My mother came from Mumbai, India 27 years ago. Immigrating here on her own and attending Rutgers University, she started a life here. On her own. So similar to Shyamala. So as a young woman of color, raised by a hardworking mother, I felt immense pride when it was announced that Kamala Harris would help lead our country. 

My sister and I grew up with zero representation. We always felt different. But just seeing Kamala up there, as the first South Asian vice president-elect, we felt important. Recognized. Heard.

So many other little girls out there feel the same way. And that’s truly beautiful. We could be in Kamala’s position one day. I could be there one day. I could be vice president or possibly even the president of the United States. I can be anything I want to be. As Kamala so clearly put it, “while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last—because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” 

When Kamala Harris and Joe Biden gave those victory speeches on Saturday night, I rose to my feet and smiled. I remember how I felt that night. After four long years of division, I finally felt proud to be an American. And I know others felt the same.