I'm 16 years old. I'm on the honor roll, I play sports, I have tons of great friends, and I love politics. You could say that I have the upper edge on my sophomoric friends, with aunts and uncles working for Senators and state representatives. In the year 2000, at the midpoint of my short life, I witnessed a new President take office. I didn't know much back then, but I did know one thing:I didn't want to live under the rule of this guy.

You could say, at that very early point in my life, my political journey began. I learned more and more about politicians of the past and present, from Washington to Roosevelt to Kennedy to Clinton. I even vaguely remember a man named Barack Obama, who delivered the best speech I have ever heard at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. And before I knew it, I was helping out with campaigns for Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Charlie Fogarty (RI) in 2006. It was at that point where I would occasionally talk politics with my friends, only to get a confused "WHAT?!" in return.

And then 2008 rolled around. That guy I mentioned, Barack Obama, seemed to be on everyone's mind, even in the early stages of his campaign. "Who is this guy?" my less than knowledgable friends would say.

I was proud to be able to answer them. That was just an add-on to the pride that I had gained from just supporting a guy like Obama. His knowledge, his charisma, his warmth, and the feeling of opportunity that he provided myself and many other Americans was, and still is, remarkable. And from that point on, my political knowledge and views began to form and even my smallest contributions to the campaign helped me land a once in a lifetime oportunity:Seeing Obama speak at a rally at Rhode Island College.

And soon enough, November 4th was here. I woke up with confidence, knowing that the guy I was pulling for could really do it. The African American, the Harvard and Columbia graduate, the "inhaler," the "secret muslim," and the "terrorist" was about to be my President. And I couldn't have been happier.

That night is a night I will never forget. When the announcement was made and President Elect Obama and his family strode to the podium, I felt an intense moment of inspiration and honor to be a part of this great country, the only place where this story is even possible.

Barack Obama, an incredible role model for myself and many others, has scooped me up and made me, to some extent, an activist and an organizer. As I look back at the past few years of my life and the political side of things, I know that this is for me. When my aunt and uncle encouraged me to write on RI Future, a Rhode Island based political blog, and also for TeenInk, I jumped at the chance. My interest in Journalism and Politics has lead me here and I feel that I'm well on my way.