The first time I vote means I get to make the world I want to live and grow in. Gaining the right to vote means an 18 year old will get to vote on something that makes a difference in this world. It means my voice will be heard, and that it will matter. It means I have entered adulthood, with one of my first decisions being to change U.S. history.

It will mean I will get to stand in that cubicle, filling out my ballot, confident in my choices. It means I will choose what kind of future I want to have. I will choose who I want to lead me, instead of having no say, aimlessly going with the crowd. I will finally get to wear the little blue sticker; I voted on my chest with pride.

It means I am not just some lazy American who doesn't care what happens. I will be the one who makes a change. I want to help make a legacy, and to give a meaning to my life, since I only get one chance to do so.

Being able to vote means I am grown up. It means I will be off to college, leaving my childhood and family behind. I will make decisions by myself, and the consequences for these decisions will be on me. It means it is the start of a new life, one filled with hard choices, one where money is the driving force, and one where I have to be top dog to be successful. The election is like this: you have to make the hard choices as a leader, money plays a big part in bills and what happens, and you have to be good at your job to get the spot.

Being able to vote means my life is now driven by what I do. The choices I make will either help me grow, or break me down. Being able to vote means I have a new found freedom, one that sticks with me—and America—for the rest of her and my life.