It was eight years ago when a Hawaii native and Harvard Law graduate ran for president of the United States with a campaign that promoted hope and change for the future.
His campaign evolved into a defining moment in American history by having the nation’s first African-American president, Barack Obama.
About 18,000 people gathered Jan. 10 in McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago to hear the 44th president address the American people for the last time as president.
Obama delievered his farwell speech in his hometown of Chicago rather than in the Oval Office like many past presidents did. Chicago was where he celebrated his re-election Nov. 6, 2012.
During his farewell speech to the people, he addressed the transition the economy has seen from when he first took office to his final 10 days of the
presidency.
“If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history, you might have said sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did — that’s what you did,” Obama told a national TV audiences.
With the end of his presidency, Obama showed faith in the foundation he set for the next president, Donald J. Trump, and Obama offered his support.
The end of his legacy has had a lasting effect on Ryan London, sophomore political science major.
“Obama has brought change to the nation through his strategic hands-on approach and I admire the love he has for the people,” London said.
Many notable events occurred during Obama’s presidency, such as the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the death of Osama Bin Laden and the
legalization of gay marriage.
“I’m grateful that I can tell my kids that I was around during the Obama era,” said Devante Fields, sophomore business major. “We do not know how long it will be until we see another minority enter the white house.”
With the end of Obama’s second term, he leaves the White House with a legacy of love and value for the people of the U.S..
