The day after the convention:

Today is the day all the lights will turn off, the confetti and balloons will be picked up, and the convention goers pack their bags full of buttons, bumper stickers, t-shirts and pictures.  I’m excited to get back to tell my stories to my dad, Jim Clem, my grandpa, Cliff Denison, and my sweetheart, Danny Burgess.  They have all been watching the convention religiously.  One thing is for sure, the memories my mom and I will take with us will never be forgotten. 

My heart is full as I leave Minneapolis. This trip has been more than just a vacation or time off school, it was a trip with a mission and purpose.  I feel blessed to even have the opportunity to participate in the free political process of my great country. 

At the airport, my mom and I met the sweetest lady in the restroom.  We began chatting and come to find out she is with her grandson who happens to be the youngest official delegate in the nation, barely eighteen and still in high school.  The mother/daughter, grandmother/grandson pairs immediately had a unique bond despite the fact that they are from the north in New York and we are from the south in Florida.

As this conference comes to a close, I’d like to share with you why I truly treasure my new right to vote as an 18 year old woman and why it is so important that as Americans, we participate in our civic duty by letting our voices be heard.  As a young woman of eighteen, if I had been born in North Korea, Venezuela or even Cuba, I may not have the opportunity to choose my college because I may not have been blessed with the right to get an education or even learn how to read. Unlike the protesters I saw, I would be too oppressed to speak about my government; my media would be controlled so I have no access to real truth in the world.

This conference has inspired me even more to live my American dream, especially with a women being nominated to be Vice President of the free world.  I will make my freedom count, and every time I cast my vote, I will do it in remembrance of all the soldiers that paid the ultimate price and of the freedom God gave to me. I will vote in remembrance of the future of America, my country.

God bless your future, God bless my future and God bless America.

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