Over the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to think about what this new presidency means for our country. It’s new leadership, new executive orders, and a new way of governing, just like with any change of a president. Yet this time, it can be summed up with one word: hope.

This is a president that has already brought along a wave of firsts. We have the first female Vice President, who is also the first black and South Asian Vice President. Her husband is not only the first Second Gentleman but also the first Jewish one. In Georgia, Americans elected the first black and the first Jewish senators to represent the state. We have had the first transgender woman appointed as the assistant health secretary along with the first black defense secretary with the appointment of Lloyd Austin on January 22. 

This presidency, in its first week, already has a lot of firsts, which could have meant that the one word to sum it up could have simply been “first”. Yet, it is much more than titles and identities. It’s about representation and hope. 

These “firsts” allow young people, especially women of color, to see themselves in the highest offices of our country. It provides more Americans with the ability to see themselves in positions that have historically been dominated by older white males. The hope it provides for the future is what is most important. The hope of our future generation to take on roles they may not have seen themselves in before. The hope that we can continue to build the leadership of our country that is representative of the make-up of our citizens.

These past two weeks have had many first, yet it is the hope (and knowledge) that they are not the last ones that make me excited. Vice President Harris, Defense Secretary Austin, and many others are breaking through previous barriers to ensure the hope lives on. 

These past two weeks have restored hope that was lost for many. It is, simply, a renewed hope.