It was a a personal moment on the morning of November 6, 2012 when I had an overwhelming sense that anything could happen that night. I was voting for president for the very first time, and it was a powerful feeling and one in which I was proud to be a part of this country. I ventured out very early that morning with my dad and my brother to the local fire station to cast our vote, and it turned out to be a simple enough pursuit. Although a early on the morning, there were many people already out to cast their vote. We did not, however face the longs lines projected in Virginia or Florida or Ohio.

As a fairly new South Bend and even Indiana resident, it was hard to learn very much about the candidates while in school here. Jackie Walorski and Brendan Mullen fought hard battles over television and radio ads, while Donnelly and Murdock raced for the open senate seat.

While there can be so much negativity surrounding this campaign and people can be pulled in by the spectacle of news channels and twitter trends and mathematical predictions (which I sure did as I watched the results), it is important to take into account this great notion that anything could happen that night. It was a close race, and in our democracy, no one knew what would happen until al the ballots were cast. And that can be a comforting thought in all the headache of election season. Here the U.S. had two amiable and competent candidates who were willing to sacrifice much of themselves for the country, and they let the American people decide with each of their votes.

While the results were streaming in, I was volunteering at the local Ronald McDonald family room, and one of the parents standing there and watching the results struck me when he said, it’s not just the candidate who will get things done. There is a lot to be done in this country, and it will not just be from the president. Many people will be working of the benefit of this country for progress. Although Indiana voted for Romney, there must be comfort in the process of the election and that there should be four more years of working together for progress and a better future.