“But what if Trump is actually elected?” echoes in my head throughout the day as I mourn the fact that an unqualified, sexist, bigot might just win the White House. I go to social media throughout the day, I know that it is not the best place to go because it isolates me to my own ideas, but I just want to know that I am not alone in being terrified for our country’s future.

I really like Hillary. She’s a woman, a hard worker, a mother, a grandmother, and she fights for what she stands for. The fact that she kept her calm throughout the entire 18-month campaign and still fought tirelessly for what she believes in is truly inspiring. It makes me want to fight even harder for everything I stand for.

Last night as the election returns came in, I sat with three of my friends watching CNN. Trump would win a few states, and we’d think, “Oh, that’s just expected. Those states always go red.” But then those toss-up states that Obama won started to lean red: Ohio. Florida. North Carolina. Virginia turned blue after being red, and we exhaled, but then states that even Republicans thought were blue started to scare us. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

No one saw this coming. Apparently Trump expected to win all along, but in reality no one else thought it would happen. We all joked about Trump for a year and a half, dismissing his chances after he did one crazy thing after another. Surely, he would never be voted into office, so we don’t have to worry about bad things happening.

After the election, we would be able to stop talking about him, but then, he got elected.

Since it was just my mom and me at my house on Election Night, we stayed up watching the polls favor Trump deep into the night. I would begin going into panic mode every time Trump won more electoral votes, but then calmed myself down when my dad texted us that key states and counties were yet to be counted.

OK, maybe we’ll be fine. He is just having a good beginning. But we soon learned  that the night was not as young as we thought it to be. Soon Trump clinched Wisconsin and Michigan, and we knew it was over.

I broke out into tears. Our country, the best, most prosperous, diverse country on the planet, was about to elect a self-proclaimed serial sexual assaulter, a lying, unmotivated, never-working, ill-tempered, unrelatable man to be one of the most powerful people on the planet.

What are we supposed to tell the little kids whose whole lives are going to be shaped by this man’s decisions in the coming years? My mother’s entire career revolves around the climate, making sure that species are protected, and that we invest in clean energy. I am terrified that our next president doesn’t believe in climate change, thinking it is a hoax made up by the Chinese.

I am scared for our economy. I am scared for my friends who are LGBTQ+ that are currently worrying for their lives and well being. I am worried for my fellow women, who will not get paid for equal work, who will not feel safe on college campuses. I am also so afraid for every immigrant who’s currently worrying if they’re going to be able to stay in the country for much longer.

I refuse to stay quiet, and to let my voice not be heard. People can complain to me all they want about how I shouldn’t boast my political views on Twitter, Facebook etc., but now I will be unaffected by your hate.

I am going to fight for the rights that Obama and Clinton championed. I’ll be at rallies. I will work until the next election to make sure our voices are heard. It’s time to get to work.

At first I was just upset, but now I am just mostly angry and annoyed that people could really back this man. White, upper middle class, men: this message is for you.

Please do not take Trump as being a frat, cool guy to back. He is not good for this country and so many people that live in it. This election is going to teach us a big lesson, America.

Our problems are much deeper than Democrats and Republicans. They are much deeper than men and women. I am saddened by the fact that so many Americans believe that Donald Trump is going to get them moving in the right direction. I strongly believe that this is due to a lack of education, but then again is it really? Most every poll has been incorrect this season.

Donald Trump is everything America doesn’t stand for. He is a liar. He is a racist. He is homophobic. He is sexist. He will never be my president.

— Have a different take on the election? We’d love to hear it. Submit your opinion columns to us at [email protected].