The year 2016 marks two important events. It is the year the senior class will become adults, and it is the year a current candidate will become the President of the United States, both marking the beginning of monumental chapters on both a micro and macro level. These events may seem unrelated, but they are not. This year’s senior class (and some other students at BHS) will have the power to determine who is inaugurated and define this new chapter.

By the time the polls are open, I will be 18 and eligible to vote. The concept of voting has always felt like a distant reality; and, in some ways, it still does. But as the dust has been brushed off old Donald Trump wigs on “Saturday Night Live” and fierce debates have clogged major television stations, the reality of voting and truly taking part in the political discourse of my country seems especially imminent. Over the course of the past few months, I have tried to make a conscious effort to “stay woke” and form my own opinions on the candidates and what they stand for. However, this column is not intended to be a winding, didactic rant about why my opinions are superior and why everyone else’s opinions are illogical, uneducated and obviously incorrect.

The truth is, I do not know who I will vote for and I don’t know what issues are the most pressing and what qualities are the most crucial. I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert on politics when I’m just a 17-year-old trying to deconstruct and understand the world I’m living in. What I do know is that my generation has the ability to truly change history for the better.

Over the course of our lives, we have seen three presidents, but likely only remember two: George W. Bush and Barack Obama. We are too young to remember a United States pre-9/11, but old enough now to analyze how the world changed afterwards. We are the guinea pigs of “No Child Left Behind” and can personally attest to its advantages and disadvantages. We have seen gay marriage legalized. We have seen revitalization of national discussions on racism. We have been the first generation to be immersed by technology. We have grown with the rising prices of college, oil, and homes. We have been affected by recessions and market crashes. We have seen a black president. We have seen our country change as we have changed and learn as we have learned.

Over the past summer, I lead tours at the John F. Kennedy Museum in Hyannis. When I wasn’t spitting facts about the numerous members of the family or explaining that, no, the compound is not open to the public, older visitors would come to me with tears in their eyes and express their love for JFK and all that he represented. They spoke of his decisive decision making, his charismatic personality, his steadfast leadership and, most importantly, the way he unified the nation. The guest book was always littered with phrases such as “we need a president like JFK today” and “if only he were still alive to help us solve our problems.” I do believe that we need a president as well-qualified as JFK was, but we also need a nation of people willing to assess the country we live in and make changes as people did during JFK’s presidency, when he famously asked what the people could do for their country, not vice versa.

The country we live in is flawed, but it has never not been flawed. The internet has exposed me to a wide array of people, places and ideas, but, most importantly, it has opened my eyes to the blatant injustices that exist in our country today. Instead of reading an article about immigration issues written by a disinterested and underpaid journalist, I can read about the actual hardships faced by an actual immigrant on her blog. Instead of seeing a broadcast conducted by a stoic blonde lady on Fox News about the Black Lives Matter movement, I can read and see the stories posted by the leaders of the movement while it happens.

If we truly want to change this country for the better, we need to become educated voters who make educated decisions. Learn about our nation’s history, then keep up with current events. Ask what we can do for our country, then ask what our leaders can do. Follow important discussions from the perspectives of different people online and in real life, then formulate your own opinions.

Nothing important will change if we do not change. After all, we are the ones who will this chapter.