When Jessica McElderry, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University voted for the first time in the 2016 presidential election she was nervous. But once McElderry saw the candidate’s names on the ballot, the moment became surreal.

“After I voted I felt really empowered and just really inspired because I know that as an African-American female our ancestors and people of the past have fought for this right,” McElderry said. ‘So I felt that it was my duty to go out there and vote.”

In this year’s presidential election, history was made as Senator Hillary Clinton ran as the democratic candidate. McElderry said as an African-American female, she thought it was very inspiring to see a woman participate in the 2016 presidential election.

“Honestly, I thought that it was very admirable and very courageous of her to vote as a female, because just like us [African-Americans] being a minority, women are a minority as well,” McElderry said. “So I feel as though she running is just out of this world.”