‘I worry about whether I will even have a future as a teacher.’

Lauren Tracy, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is passionate about education and politically engaged in shaping the country’s future. Pursuing a double major in elementary and middle school education with concentrations in science and American Sign Language, she aspires to become a teacher. However, with the results of the 2024 election, she is increasingly concerned about how political decisions could impact education funding.

Sky Abner: So, who did you vote for during the election?

Lauren Tracy: Kamala Harris

Abner: How did you feel right after the election?

Tracy: Awful… I was actually physically ill. I was throwing up. Everyone was like zombies on campus. The first couple of weeks after the election felt blurry. This election had meant a lot.

Abner: How do you feel the election affected students at UWM?

Tracy: I think it affected a lot of our self-esteem. It also affected the confidence that we have in our generation because there was such a big campaign and the feeling that Kamala was going to win. Everyone was kind of excited about what the future was going to be, and then, just for him to win, it was sad.

Abner: Do you know anybody who voted on the opposite side of you? If so, how did they handle the election?

Tracy: I don’t associate with anyone who voted for the other side. After the election, I chose more to not associate with that side.

Abner: Were you able to avoid discussions about the election after it happened, or did you find yourself frequently engaging in political conversations with friends or family?

Tracy: Yeah, I think even before and after the election because of what’s going on with Palestine. That has been a big conversation. Politics has sadly become a big conversation because some of these issues that are not political have been politicized. COVID-19 and other things as well. I guess I’ve had a lot of conversations. Even health care has become a political conversation. It has definitely become more necessary to be involved in political conversations nowadays.

Abner: Are there any policies introduced after the election that you feel are positive or negative about?

Tracy: There are a lot of negatives. He (Trump), first of all, can’t read. He’s not able to read the things that they hand him. He always asks, “What am I signing?” There is more of a team behind him pushing out new things. You could see it in his first week of office with all the ICE raids. They’re just doing things in an uneducated way. If you’re going to deport individuals, that country also has to accept those individuals back. I wouldn’t say that there are really any positive policies.

It’s scary.

Since I am going into education, I worry about whether I will even have a future as a teacher. The university has been sending us emails about universities all in the area being worried because so much funding is being taken from scholarships. So many things are being taken away that it’s going to be harder for anyone to go to college

Abner: How well do you think the new policies align with the campaign promises made by the elected officials?

Tracy: I mean, I feel like he made a very big campaign that he was going to lower gas prices and lower grocery prices so that put people in the mindsight that he is going to now fix these problems that are happening. But obviously, he got into the office, and that was the last thing on his list that he was worried about.

Trump’s campaign didn’t talk a lot about Project 2025, and other campaigns made sure to talk about it. It’s literally happening, and we are watching it happen. I think that it was really good that other campaigns continued to talk about the negatives of Project 2025 and that Trump’s name was listed in them over 130 times. I think he lied so much about that and said that Project 2025 was not real. It has been 2 months in his presidency, and it is going about page by page.

Abner: How do you feel about Elon Musk and his closeness to Trump?

Tracy: I am also an autistic individual, and I do not think it is his autism. He is a terrible person and is exploiting his own children for fame, money, and power. Sadly, I think that he’s really behind the campaigns and maybe behind the election win. I know his little AI thing; it only reads two answers. All of that shit I have a problem with. Especially the way that they were talking about the Essential from Ukraine and how he was wearing improper clothes, but Elon’s in there with a T-shirt and blazer.

Abner: What do you think the future of the United States will look like during this presidency?

Tracy: I think that there is going to be a lot of revolting and fighting against. The election even snapped our generation into gear, even though we are really into gear and trying to be involved. I think the reality of our democracy and how it’s not really a democracy and how it’s more of an oligarchy, that reality slapped us in the face when he still won. We knew how good our campaign was and how big it was, and now, watching him do anything that he wants to do, I think it’s going to cause all of the other social classes and all of the other people to want to revolt. I really hope they break down the system so that we can build a new one. I know that there are some trump supporters who regret their vote. The next day after the election, the Google for “Can I change my vote?” was really high. If only they thought about their vote before going to the polls.