Last Tuesday, Oct. 18, the students enrolled in the AP Political Science course went campaigning in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This field trip allowed students to choose the party and the candidate they wanted to campaign for. Deciding which candidate to support forced students to evaluate their views and the policies of the two presidential nominees. From this evaluation they had to determine which candidate supported their values.

This process of evaluating your values and aligning them with a candidate who supports those views is important for every student to undertake. Though not all of us may be able to vote on Nov. 8, it is important to define our own values and the values that give meaning to issues we believe are important.

The process, too, has to be independent. The president elected in November will be the president for four or eight years. In that span, all of us, freshman included, will have graduated high school and moved into the real world. The president elected on November 8 will be the voice of our young adulthood. This individual will pass laws and enforce policies that will effect social justice, heath care, education, and gun reforms.

The future effect of this elected president makes this election crucial for our generation. Our generation is on the cusp of adulthood; not yet old enough to vote, but old enough where this election matters for us.

It is up to you to determine the values and issues you deem important. It is up to you to support a specific candidate.  But in our effort to reflect the needs of the student body, find it necessary to reflect on the skills and values we believe our future president must exhibit.

The future president must be knowledgeable about global and domestic affairs. In order to be the president of the United States, the candidate must be aware and educated on the issues plaguing the nation and the globe. Avoiding issues such as social justice, gun violence, and the environment shows a candidate who is neither aware nor concerned with issues afflicting millions of Americans.

To put it in different terms, everyone wants a doctor who’s been to medical school to evaluate their health, not a doctor who only studied chemistry. We know that a doctor who graduated medical school has more experience and knowledge about the human body than a chemistry major. The presidency is similar. To be president of the United States a candidate must have experience in the political world. Voting for a candidate without experience is putting our county in inadequate hands.

The future president must also have a good temperament. The president must ensure national security and in order to do this the president must remain even tempered. Sure, situations in politics can get heated, but a leader must be calm and collected. Not only does the president reflect themselves, but how they handle global situations reflects how the world perceives all Americans. The future president must not make rash decisions based on actions or words only meant to provoke them.

As our leader the president must reflect our own values. As Americans we all share common values of freedom, equality, and self-expression. Our president must reflect these values and continue to exhibit why the United States is still the leader of the world.

The president’s job to reflect our values also means the president cannot be weak. The new president must have a good temperament, yes, but this person must also be stern. As a global leader, the United States must be a voice that is heard, not one that can be ignored.    

The New Trier News will not endorse a candidate because we can’t speak to the values of all the students who attend this institution. Instead, it is up to you to decide what you need in a president and what issues you want the president to address.

With this highly polarized, historical election it is important to have a voice. Whether you support red or blue this November, make sure you know your own convictions. Not your parents. Not your friends. Not your teachers. You need your own reason for supporting a candidate, for this election will affect you whether you can vote or not.