“Yes we can.”

Back in 2008, it was impossible to never hear those three words come out of President Barack Obama’s mouth. He gave people hope with his powerful speeches and his likable persona. There was just one thing about him that made him very different from any other presidential candidate in the race; he was an African American.

When he became the Democratic party’s nominee, most people believed that this was as far as he was going to get. However, on the night of November 4th, 2008 he proved all of the critics wrong. This night was the night that Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States and the first African American to be elected president. History was made.

So it’s almost time for him to pack up and move out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s time for a change. 

Rather than wallow in the sadness, I think this is the perfect opportunity to look back on some of Obama’s greatest moments. For one, Obamacare. Despite plenty of opposition from the Right and many actions taken to solidify the bill not being passed, it survived and passed in 2015. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Obamacare, allowing the federal government to give out subsidies to all states and consumers regardless if they signed up through the federal or state based exchange.

Second taking a stand against the numerous acts of terrorism throughout his term. The most recent incident is the San Bernardino attacks, during which Obama urged American citizens to stand united against the terrorism. “In Syria and Iraq, ISIS is losing territory, and we’re not going to stop until we destroy this terrorist organization,” said Obama.

Third and the most monumental was the legalization of same-sex marriage. In the historic Supreme Court ruling of 5-4, same-sex couples now have a constitutional right to marry in all 50 states. Obama fought for justice and it turned out that love won.

It’s been an eventful eight years for the President. But I honestly think that he’s accomplished some huge goals along the way. Back in 2008, most Americans didn’t know if he would actually make a change but I think that’s he’s proven himself worthy of our praise.