There are many firsts one experiences in life, a first day of school, first steps, and first words. Next year I get to experience a first that I have been looking forward to for a long time, I get the chance to make one of the most important decisions in regards to impact in my life; I get to vote. There is no denying that this upcoming election is one of the most important in American history, the economy is a mess, we are engaged in war, and domestic morale is at an all-time low. I personally cannot fix this crisis but as a college-bound eighteen year old, I will get to make a decision that will affect my future and the future of our nation.

I have always been a politically minded individual, focused on the problems facing our nation and doing my best to understand the solutions that are proposed as remedies for these issues. I can distinctly remember entering the voting booth as a six year old with my mom as she voted for president in the two-thousand election. I recall feeling jealous that my parents get to make an important decision while I was left standing there watching in anticipation knowing that one day it would be my responsibility to vote. I waited and waited, knowing that in the 2012 general election I would get the chance to make an impact on society.

As a young adult in this society, my interests in life are changing rapidly; I will be faced with issues I have never had to deal with before, such as taking out student loans, registering for the draft and finding a summer job. I have gained a new voice now. It may be one voice in a chorus of many, yet I am now a part of America’s most important conversation. Politics and news are important to me, and I want to be a part of the decision making process. I want the opportunity to get my ideas heard, and to have a voice in important issues facing our nation. I understand these issues because I stay in touch with what is happening in the world by watching and reading the news at all opportunities presented to me. The vote I place next November may not have a major impact on the outcome of the election, but it will be an event that marks my coming of age and that I am finally an adult who gets to make a choice, and I will finally be a part of the American political discourse.