We are the ones we've been waiting for.

I was 10 when George W Bush was elected to office. In 2000 during the election year I was in 5th grade, in my public school this was the year we learned about the Boston Tea Party and started to learn more about our American History. This also meant my teacher kept us informed of the election. In magazines aimed at my age group like Time for Kids that was kept in our classrooms, the election and election process was a big topic. I was aware. I was also aware of what my parents thought of the candidates and knew that although I lived in a blue state because of Chicago, the part of Illinois I grew up in might not be as left leaning as the city that swayed our state 50 miles away from my home. I remember being disappointed that the candidate the people in my house and my church community talked fondly about didn't win that election but I don't remember deep despair or anger.

I was 14 when George W Bush got re-elected to office. I was now angry, angry that I didn't have a voice in our political system. I was angry that our teachers kept telling us we are the future, but as the future we had no say in who was shaping the future of our country and the adults who were shaping the future for us had voted someone into office again who had put us at war and did not seem to share any of my core values. I bought CD's that had various artists who wrote songs in protest called "Rock Against Bush Vol.1 and 2" I had a sweatshirt with his face and the phrase "Not My President" on the back, and I even went out a few times with my mom, younger sister and fellow members of our UU church and protested his presidency and the war. I learned how to be a budding activist. I learned that resisting and calling out injustice was not only my right as an American, but my duty.

The high school I went to was a mixture of farm families and families who resided in the suburbs. Although we were not diverse racially, we were diverse socioeconomically. Because of this I had many classmates and teachers who did not share the same views I did, or sometimes understand where I was coming from. I have a vivid memory of  being in my sophomore American History class and having the student teacher from the university close by tell me "I have never met a nurturing and kind staunch feminist before." after he watched me go from giving a passionate presentation about the women's rights movement in the 1960's (with a visual of a decorated metal trash can full of peace signs and quotes from strong women like Gloria Steinem) to waiting for the bell to ring standing with my group of friends, embraced in a hug by one of my close male friends. This was the first time I remember hearing feminist be used as a backhanded compliment and negative thing. I was always told feminism and being a feminist was a positive. It empowered me and still does. I didn't let that student teacher in his 20's and his interpretation of what a staunch feminist looked like change either the way I interacted with my friends or my strong sense of identity.

I was 18 when I cast my first ballot in a national election, my group of friends and I decided that the election was a perfect excuse to skip all our classes for the day and drive around town gathering all the free things we could get because we voted. We blared music and a few would roll windows down at stoplights yelling OBAMA 08! We spent the evening watching John Stewart and Stephen Colbert cover the election with most of the people who lived in our residence hall. When it was announced that Barack Obama was our President Elect, the excitement in the room was uncontainable. Many of us felt like our voices were finally heard and we were able to take part in such a historical moment for our country.

I was 22 when I cast my second ballot for President Obama. I don't have the same rose tinted excitement associated with this, cast my ballot and prayed that some of the campaign promises that he made in 2008 would happen. Eager for change in our immigration system, LGBTQ rights, and desperately wanting Guantanamo Bay to be shut down. I was relieved and thankful that evening when he stayed on and was re elected for his second term.

During President Obama's terms in office healthcare became more affordable and accessible, pipelines were stopped, and now all in our country are free to marry the one they love. Progress was made and lives were made better. But there was still plenty of justice work to be done in our country. I took part in walks to help larger national conversations happen about mental health and suicide prevention and awareness, protested the treatment of people incarcerated in Maricopa County under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, listened to horror stories of the environmental impact open coal barging and rallied to help end them, and took to the streets chanting "Black Lives Matter" fighting against racial injustice and police brutality. Even when the leaders you want in power are in power, injustice does not stop, the struggle does not stop, our work does not stop.

I am 26 now and cast my ballot in November 2016, I cried when I filled in my ballot. I cried thinking of how I was casting my vote for a woman to become president. I cried and was cocky, thinking this election was already decided. I was wrong. On election night I cried again, a different cry, a cry for our nation and its future. A cry of fear and anger. That cry then turned to a fire, a fire that I had not felt since I was 15, only this time the fire in my belly was intensified because I made my voice known, but that was not enough. Intensified because I now work with teens who were already voicing how unfair it is that they can not vote.

In the 11 years since I first felt that anger from who was elected as the President I feel like I have been prepping for this. I have learned how to write to my elected officials, I learned how to non violently and peacefully protest, I can engage in conversation with friends and family who do not share the same views without yelling or name calling. I have been training and learning how to start to become the adult I was desperately looking for when I was 15. Looking on my social media, I see this in many of my friends as well. We are not sitting idly by, we are actively trying to make our world better. We are becoming the ones we were waiting for 11 years ago.

I am 26 and I am fearful, angry, and hopeful. Hopeful because I see potential in our youth, the youth who are mad that we as adults have made their future scarier than ever by who has been elected into office. Hopeful that the fire many of us have felt in our gut gets spread to the youths as well. Hopeful that this next generation becomes hungry for change and becomes the ones they waited for. Because disappointments will always happen and what matters is how we react to the loss and disappointment and if we continue to strive to be the people we wished we had in our lives when things went wrong, we can continue to build a better world.

Not Your Average Bachelorette.

Like many I am in love with all things in Bachelor Nation. I get swept up in the drama, the back stories, the connection, and if things work out the love stories. I love watching the elaborate dates and cattiness from the house, it helps me escape the awkwardness that is my dating life that is full of weird interactions and normally ends in text breakups. But in recent years the show that once took people we had never heard of and put them on our screens on Monday nights the only way to now become the bachelor or bachelorette is to be a runner up or former contestant. For many reasons I doubt I would be the best fit in a house with 20+ other women, but I would make for a pretty kickass bachelorette. So without further ado, here is my open letter to Chris Harrison to maybe see if we can change this cycle.

Dear Chris,

You don't know me and I don't know you, well I see you on social media and my tv screen but I don't know you. But I have some pretty compelling reasons why instead of picking from the pool of women of bachelors seasons past you should put a new face for America to fall in love with and cringe at on Mondays

1) I am short, have extra pounds that stick to my body, my hair is never perfect, and I would much rather wear a pair of Birkenstocks than heels. I may not look like your brand but why should that be an issue? Brands sometimes need a little shake up and why not show the young people that watch this show that everyone deserves a chance at love.

2) My dates will save you buckets of money. I have a terrible fear of heights and so I won't need helicopters or any very small plane that goes upside down, but if you could get me to Disneyland I would not complain. I am way more into going on dates that will help me envision my future with the men. Lets do some bar trivia, cook some food together, and grab brunch before going to a hardware store to pick out the paint for an overcomplicated DIY project I found on pinterest. I would much rather get to know someone over putting together IKEA furniture than cruising on a sailboat at sunset. Because I am sure more people break up over IKEA furniture than private concerts and dinner by candlelight.

3) I want to be the one getting on one knee at the finale. Sure let the men pick a ring, but can it be slightly more modest? (and rose gold?) But I also want to find a ring and get down on one knee. This is about my journey to find love and if I am the one making the choice, I want to be the one to ask my partner to marry me.

4) I already enjoy tweeting and I am not ashamed to tweet out some brand deal stuff, maybe those pastel blue gummy vitamins for nice hair, because I have fine hair so maybe some cartoon looking vitamins that the Kardashians and the women of the bachelor family love so much will help my fine hair. My instagram and snapchat need a little work but don't worry, I am a fast learner.

5) Life is short and worth taking chances. If I kept talking about writing this and not just doing it, it's just another idea that landed in my 'what if' pile. I don't have anything to lose and there is no real worst case scenario. So that is that, I'm a straight cisgendered white girl who wants to find a partner without swiping right or left. I want to find my partner in crime, my person who will laugh at me singing along to showtunes before joining in only knowing the tune because I obnoxiously played the song on repeat, the person to lay out and watch the night sky with me until my allergies get too bad and we need to go inside. I want an unfiltered mid sneeze photo love not a beauty filtered flower crown love.

If any of this sounds appealing to you, please do accept my rose.🌹

I look forward to hearing from you, or at least hearing you Monday Nights at 8EST/7CST on ABC for another exciting episdode of The Bachelor.

Respectfully and Slightly Unromantically,
Ayla