As summer has officially come to a close and I’ve jumped into school for yet another year, I realized that I anticipated the question that I once dreaded. “What’d you do this summer?” This year, I was excited, and humbled to answer, “I worked at ESPN, in New York City.”

A song by the O’Jays came out in the 80’s went something like this, “Christmas just ain’t Christmas without the one you love, New Year’s just ain’t New Years without the one you love.”  This Christmas, I’ve come to learn that this is more than true. Many may remember that nearly four months ago, I lost my grandmother (though it feels much longer than that.) Unfortunately, I think my Christmas spirit left with her.

Christmas doesn’t seem right without the things that should be here around during this time, right? Here’s how I’m growing and learning to deal with Christmas without a few things:

We’ve all seen the results of the presidency and the only thing that’s on social media this morning is the outrage of my friends, family and colleagues. I feel your pain. I woke up and saw the results and tears just fell. Tears of rage, sadness and pain. I feel the pain of my melanin-filled brothers and sisters. I feel the pain of women. I feel the pain of all minorities, the LGBTQ community and anyone who thought they’d wake up to a different result.

I received many comments and reactions, and was told by several friends and family members to inform them on the conversation. Well, here it is:

My classmates and I anxiously awaited the arrival of these members of the Trump campaign so that we could hear what they had to say, and quite frankly, why they were saying it.