I voted for my first time this year, and I’m proud to say I was an informed voter. For the first time in my life, I’ve cared about politics. My professor Deneen Gilmour is to thank. She was the one that came to me in May before the end of the semester and said, “I want SPJ to host Debate Watch 2012.”

When the semester began, the other SPJ officers and I started planning. Although it was a bit stressful getting everything pulled together, the event was totally worth it. It was a huge success not only because a lot of people attended, but because it got students thinking about and discussing politics.

I ended up watching all of the presidential and vice presidential debates and got informed about the candidates and the measures. And when yesterday finally came, I was so excited to watch everything unfold.

Whether or not you were satisfied with the outcome of the election, I think it’s important for all of us to stand behind our president and our country. The campaigns are now over and it’s time to move on, forget about partisanship and work together to make our country better.

…

Jasmine
Photos by Robert Swansen