Summary: As members of the generation that swung the vote for Barrack Obama in 2008, how will Kent State students voice whom they want to see as the next leader of America?

With a video announcement — which features glimpses into the lives of multiple people on most levels of society, including a gay couple, a mother-to-be, a small business owner and a college student — Hillary Clinton officially made it clear she is running to become President of the United States. Sunday marked the end to months of speculation and waiting but also marked the entrance of the Democratic Party’s first candidate for the 2016 presidential race.

Is the United States ready for its first female president? Will Hillary be able to connect with the people of America? Like Kent State’s president Beverly Warren, Hillary obviously cares about people. Whereas Warren oversees the university community, Hillary would oversee the American people if elected. Can college students relate to Hillary? What can she do to help those who will be buried in debt upon graduation?

Like most politicians, Hillary has had to deal with a continuous campaign. From the time she lost to Barack Obama in 2008 — a time when most of us currently in college weren’t old enough to vote — her every move was analyzed. Obama picked her to be Secretary of State in 2009, a position that some analysts might argue placed her in the leading role in terms of foreign policy and therefore in the leading role of guiding the U.S. on a global scale.

It was, it seems, a matter of “when” and not “if” she would run in 2016. But are we tired of hearing about Hillary already? Despite a lack of campaign posters or ads, the mass media has already begun analyzing her and the Republican candidates thus far, including Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. Do Kent State students care about who their president could be in 2016? The university was ready for a female president. Is the United States?

Younger voters changed the tide of the 2008 election in Obama’s favor. But with decreasing voter turnout for government elections — case in point, Kent State’s own Undergraduate Student Government last month had little more than 1,000 votes cast — will our generation have a greater voice in the upcoming election? How will we and those around us get involved in various election campaigns? What kind of leadership do we want to see reflected in our government and elected officials? Our generation was ready for Obama, but are we ready for Hillary?