Why do you love Barack Obama so much?

“Why do you love Barack Obama so much?”

I get this question all the time, and I always reply (in my best Kegan voice), “whaddye even mean??”

Before I even start writing all the reasons why I adore him so much, I need to acknowledge all the ~*haters*~. I know people don’t like him, and I’m sure you all have valid reasons. That’s fine. But to be brutally honest, I don’t care. I will never agree with you, no matter what evidence you find and turn it into a power point presentation or a prezi (ughhhh) and present it to me. He changed my life and he’s my biggest inspiration. Point final. Merci, bonsoir.

Now let’s take it back to the very beginning. In grade 11, I had chosen to take Leadership and Current Events courses rather than science courses. My parents weren’t too thrilled, hoping I would one day become a doctor or something (lol), but it was my decision and looking back, it was the best decision that I could have made for myself. I was always kind of shy and I never really stood up for myself and stuff that I believed in and in Leadership, we had a very outspoken teacher who had encouraged people to speak up. Out of a complete random spur of the moment decision, I decided to run for Leadership class President, and I won. That year we planned the first pep-rally for the Beurling Bobcats and the very first fashion show to help raise money for charity, along with various other events. I was put in a position where I had to make decisions that impacted other people and I had to speak out in regards to things that I wanted to happen. This wasn’t something I was used to and I was totally out of my comfort zone, but it changed me and evidently shaped my future.

In Current Events class, it was the beginning of the race for Democratic Nomination between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. We learned a bit of their personal history and individual politics, and I was instantly hooked on Obama. The entire year, we had to read articles which followed with class debates and you can guess who’s side I was always on. I was drawn to him because he talked about a future that my generation needed. We needed someone who stood up for minorities, women’s rights, our planet and (eventually) marriage equality. These are all topics that I’ve always had a minor interest in and due to Obama speaking out on these issues, it allowed me to explore them a lot more.

He went on to win the Democratic Nomination and by that time, high school was over. I continued to follow his path to the White House and admired him every step of the way. He seems like he genuinely cares about people when he speaks. He makes you feel like you matter, whether you’re right in front of him or watching him on a live stream. He believes that there is good in the world and that changes can be made if everyone just rallied together on a common ground. That is why I love him. He makes me believe that even though I am one person, I have the capability to change the world.

When Barack speaks, I’m sure you notice his tone of voice and the way he articulates his thoughts. He speaks with poise and with determination and allows himself to think about what he’s actually saying. When I was competing for the Queen’s Court Selection Evening, I spoke to the Chair of Irish Studies at Concordia, Michael Kenneally, about my speech. He told me to think of the way Obama speaks and to remember that pauses in speech are necessary to properly get out what you want to say. I had always seen Obama as an influence when it came to public speaking, but Michael opened my eyes at how much impact he can really have on a group of people. Now for the Selection Evening, I wasn’t looking to change people’s lives by introducing myself and telling the room why I should represent the Montreal Irish community. It was more of a test for me. I am not a fan of public speaking and I never have been but it’s something that I need to make myself comfortable with. It’s annoying to be nervous when you’re talking about something you’re informed about and I just wanted to see if I could actually talk in front of 200+ people. Turns out, it’s not so bad after all. Also, lately I’ve been thinking about what I want to do after I graduate and it’s looking like I’m leaning towards politics.

I’ve been active in student politics at Concordia since my second year. I got involved because I enjoyed it in high school, and obviously this is at a grander scale. I’m currently involved with 3 student organizations and I’m actively putting myself out there and getting to know more people in different disciplines. More and more, I find myself wanting a career in politics and going out there and making a change and meeting people that can help shape the best version of myself. This all comes back to Obama. He always talks about future generations needing to be active and to go out there and make things happen for themselves and I want to do this. I want to help people and I want to be able to influence and impact people’s lives in a positive way.

Also, can we just actually admire Barack Obama as a human being for a second? He’s like, the cutest man ever. He makes little stupid jokes and is SUCH a dad, it’s actually embarrassing sometimes. But I adore him so here are some of my favourite photos of him:

Obama eating a taco is the happy I aspire to be every day. LOOK AT THAT FACE.

Don’t even get me STARTED on him and Michelle. Michelle and Barack are #goals. The way they speak about each other physically hurts my heart. During Barack’s farewell speech, he says her name and smiles and bites his lip and I ACTUALLY CAN’T. It’s the sweetest thing to witness them together and I’m so glad that we actually got a glimpse of their love life while in the White House.

All this to say that Barack is my main man. He inspires me to want to better myself and to not only want to change things around me, but to BE the change around me. I look up to him as someone who can always see the positive in people and to always be kind to one another. Love trumps hate and I truly believe that there is good in everyone (with the exception of a handful of people).

In summary: Thanks Obama.