Yesterday morning, Bryn Mawr students were excited to vote on what was, for many of us, our first time voting. There was a shuttle that took us from campus to the nearest voting poll. The polls were full of long lines of college students. I casted my vote, ate warm chocolate chip cookies with hot chocolate and awaited the results.

Fast forward a couple hours and both TGH and the campus center are full of concerned students watching the election. As time went on and it became evident that Trump was doing remarkably well, you felt the energy drop. Bryn Mawr is a very liberal college and many of us were rooting for Clinton. Trump represents so much of what we are trying to fight against.

This is a very different experience from my sister’s time at Bryn Mawr when Obama was being elected. She spoke of TGH being filled with cheers everytime he won a state. I speak of the campus center being filled with tears and hugs everytime Trump won a state. But the hugs, the warmth, the solidarity in that room made this night less threatening.

Today my professor sent a heartfelt email about self care and assuring us that if we had to take the day off because this election was too personal, we could. I appreciate that Bryn Mawr is an institution that is helping me cope with these results rather than amplifying my pain.

Later today there will be vigils, protests and activism to express our sentiment at this difficult time. Bryn Mawr students don’t sit with their arms crossed in the face of hate. We fight back.