My Reaction to the Beginning of the Biden/Harris Era

Part of me wanted to celebrate Joe Biden’s inauguration like I won the World Cup. The previous presidential administration was a dark cloud that shrouded the end of my time in college, throughout my two years in grad school, and the beginning phase of my post school life. That itself has been a turbulent period with moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego, navigating a long distance relationship, job searching and researching among other events. It’s ok to celebrate, but soon you must go back to the drawing board because the next challenge is always right around the corner. The United States is in that position right now at the beginning of the Biden/Harris Era, and after gathering my thoughts in the past 24 hours, I hope my reaction in this article can help put your thoughts into words too.

We feel a mix of emotions during any major transition in our lives. Whether it be within our personal journeys or how we react to a greater event, we rarely feel just one thing. Around now, you may be feeling emotions such as relief, uncertainty, hope, skepticism, and empowerment to name a few. Above anything else though, we should put it in its proper context in order to make the most of this transition.

The eight years under Barack Obama as president were bandaids over systemic issues and fractures in society. Those cracks were…