By Katherine Borsting

College marks the time of self-discovery for many students as they experience their first years of adulthood and begin to develop and gain exposure to new ideas, cultures, and opinions. For many students at Colorado State University this was the first presidential election they were eligible to vote in.

Prior to the election the general feeling of anxiety about who would be the 47th President-Elect was present on both sides amongst students concerned for what is right for their future and our country.

Olivia Roberts, a senior and first-time voter felt that media played a big part in how she consumed and evaluated the candidates prior to the election.

“A majority of the media I consume is left-focused and honestly instilled a lot of fear in me prior to the election,” Roberts said. “I felt that issues I care about were at risk if Trump were elected.”

Now that President Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th President-Elect, Roberts expresses real fear along with disappointment based on the results.

“It is not what I was hoping for, I can say that and [it’s] honestly disappointing, scary, and hurtful that people have such horrific priorities when it comes to politics,” Roberts said.

Other students on CSU’s campus seemed to be somewhat disappointed but unsure and optimistic of what the future holds. Owen Marinkovich, a senior who voted for Kamala Harris disclosed how he felt uneducated the entire election season.

“I voted for Kamala because my mom told me to,” Marinkovich said. “But honestly, I don’t know what’s really going on with what she wants or what he [Trump] wants.”

Marinkovich revealed he felt disappointed with the results due to the expression of concern amongst those in his friend group.

“When it comes to policy, I don’t know what she [Kamala Harris] wanted,” Marinkovich said. “However, my friends who are gay said they are scared and I trust them. I should probably read up because maybe I would agree with some Trump stuff.”

Overall, students seem disappointed and uncertain based on the recent election results. Many are worried about what Trump will do once he is in office, and are disheartened that he has made a return.

Photo credit: Spilly816, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons