by Dyna Lopez

Created on: November 06, 2008

What an amazing, emotional and unforgettable ride this country (and the world) has been on for the past 24 hours a brand new shiny day is being written in America's history books. From yesterday's dinner time projection of an Obama-Biden win to just a few hours later, Democratic Senator Barack Obama's transformation into the President Elect shoes during his electrifying yet somber acceptance speech. I couldn't keep my eyes off the television news stations. I knew when I would wake this morning; the whole world would still be buzzing nonstop about this historic event. From Honolulu , Jakarta, Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago to the White House, Obama's rise and impressive transformation: a child growing up with a single parent, the first African American president of Harvard Review, quick rise to Senator, to his historic win for the most powerful seat in the country - is a true testament of adversity in the making. Even if you don't agree with his policies and/or his ability to run the country, you can't help but be in awe of his struggle, hope and determination to make it to the mountaintop all the while staying calm, cool and collect.

I've never heard of Barack Obama until I saw him speak on national television at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Most convention speeches have the same template of how their next candidate (majority have been white with 2 parent, middle class-upper class upbringing) will be different from the last President and that he will represent the people and fix this and that. Blah, blah, blah says the broken record. President Bill Clinton was the last President of my Generation X that woke up young voters and gave a glimmer of hope and promise. So my ears perked up and my wide eyes fixated on this unknown man whose simple yet passionate speech energized the entire convention floor. He preached his "hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!"
He had a vision of not just red and blue states but a United States of America. Who was this guy who can rally a predominately white delegation to scream his name and jump up and down like he was the next American Idol? Where the heck did he come from?

Four years later, Obama continued to bring that message home which one was of the key major factors that helped him win the election.
He flipped the script and re-wrote Campaigning for Dummies. He reached

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