President Barack Obama

The election of President Barack Obama was particularly special to me because I got to witness his Inauguration on January 20, 2009. I was very upset because voting took place right before I turned eighteen, preventing me from participating, but I was so estatic that I would get to witness a part of history. Seeing all of these people of different races coming together to witness and support the new president of the United States was a life changing sight. When President Barack Obama mentioned in his Inaugural speech that 60 years ago his father would not have been served in a restaurant and that now the son of that man is the President of the United States, it really inspired me. It was amazing to contemplate how equal African Americans have become in society today. During the days of President Barack Obama's father, an African American president was unheard of and no one would even think of such a thing. Now-a-days, although prejudice and racism still exist, African Americans can still pursue any career that they want to and become anything that they want to. President Barack Obama is a perfect example of this. To see an African-American family finally living in the White House is an illustration of how far the United States of America has come regarding discrimination, segregation, and racism.

The Human Capital Theory refers to the attributes gained by a person or a worker through education and/or experience. A more straightforward definition of the Human Capital Theory is, if you work hard and do good in school, you will become a successful person. Many successful African-Americans attended prestigious colleges and possessed good educational backgrounds such as Thurgood Marshall, Michael Eric Dyson, and Barack Obama. I think that President Barack Obama took the Human Capital Theory and ran with it; he attended Occidental College in LA, Columbia University in NYC, and Harvard Law School where he graduated magna cum laude. President Barack Obama definitely had a great educational background and I feel that his education played a big role in his overall success. After graduating college, although he was well qualified to work at large corporate firms, instead, he rejected them and fought against housing and employment discrimination at local civil rights firms. He was always trying to do more and fight for what he believed in, which is what made him such a great presidential candidate and is what he is still doing as a President today.

In my opinion, the United States of America is definitely moving in the right direction. Racism is not completely gone but it has unquestionably gotten much better than it was in past generations. Children of all different ethnicities can attend schools together and you will never see segregated bathrooms or water fountains, which was a common sight during the generation of President Barack Obama's father. As an African-American young woman and low-income college student. I feel as though President Barack Obama has given me the motivation and encouragement that I need to continue to pursue my goals. Growing up, I felt that I would always carry a burden. After all, I was born into a life without lavish things, a safe neighborhood, or wealth. Consequently, I thought I would never graduate from high school, have a good career, or be successful in life. I was stigmatized by my surroundings and the manner in which everyone around me led their lives. I don't feel this way anymore. With the change and hope that Barack Obama has brought to the nation, I am certain that I can actually be anything that I want to be.

President Barack Obama can relate to all different types of people from all walks of life, which played a key role in his historic win. His ability to bring people of all shapes, colors, and sizes together, separated him from the rest. Being the offspring of a Caucasian mother and an African-American father, he experienced these two races growing up and can relate to the two races. He also did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He knows what poverty, inequality, and discrimination feels like, but he also knows what the product of hard work, determination, and education is. Others will argue that President Barack Obama's win does nothing for race in the United States, because our country is so deep in this racial