I have been a contributor to this blog for the past 3 months and most of it has been spent abroad in Dublin, Ireland. Witnessing the past three months of the Obama Administration has still reaffirmed my confidence that those working around the President and the President himself have a head on their shoulders and have a clear vision for the country in various issues ranging from the economy to health care to civil rights. I pay particular attention to the following five issues that are of significant importance to me. Here is my gradebook:

1) LGBT Rights / Civil Rights This issue is critically important to me as one of the bedrocks of American society. As an openly gay man, but more importantly as an American, the civil rights of all our people is a critical issue that encompasses a broad scope of the political sphere from Marriage Equality to the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. I have honestly been frustrated with the President’s slow pace on this issue. He voiced his support for both the Hate Crimes Bill and the Employment Non Discrimination Acts, both currently moving through the Houses of Congress. He forcefully voiced his support for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Most of the progress necessary needs to happen legislatively so he can only do a certain amount in moving these bills forward. Much will depend on the courage and political will of the Democrats and equality-minded Republicans in Congress. However, the President has been very weak in relation to overturning the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. I applaud him for hosting the reception honoring the LGBT Pride Month at the White House. Personally, I believe he is committed to the cause of equality. He just wants to do things at a slow and smart pace so as not to piss anyone off and possibly derail efforts for a long time. For that, I give him the benefit of the doubt and give him a B

2) Foreign Policy So far I have been very impressed with not only how world leaders have reacted to his intelligence, political savvy and tendency for people to generally like him. He has traveled across the world in his first half year and mended many fences that were previously broken under the Bush Administration. He understands foreign policy and general international affairs. He, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, make me proud to be American and have them represent us abroad. I give him an A.

3) Health Care The health care fiasco has not been pretty. I understand, though, that he vehemently supports a public health care option that ensures all Americans have some sort of coverage. I firmly believe he is committed to this cause. His problem lies in the Congress especially with fiscally conservative Democrats who do not want to appear to be spending funds on programs that are deemed frivolous. The fact that he was so vocal in calling Senators and Congressman to support this legislation along with his tendency to invite different players to meet with him in the White House shows that he faces obstacles largely out of his control. I give him a B+.

4) Education Policy There has not been much talk about education in the first six months of the Administration. I was very impressed with the fact that he emphasized service as a requirement for all young people, which I personally agree with. He also unveiled his community college plan which aims to revitalize America’s community colleges. During his first State of the Union Address, he emphasized the importance of education being a priority for young people in America. He stated how he plans to revamp education and make it something that people feel compelled to do because it is part of giving back to the country. We have not seen the results of this new Obama Education policy so I can’t give much of a grade now, but so far I give him a B+.

5) Immigration Policy In relation to civil rights, immigration is a critical issue that covers many facets of American life from the economy to national security. There has not been much action on the immigration front in the first 6 months of Obama’s Presidency. he has emphasized the need to revitalize our economy through job training, twenty-first century technology, and a new look on how we can rebuild our country to fit the needs of its growing and diverse population. He understands that immigrants contribute a significant amount to American society and I believe he will stand firm on this issue. His handling of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation process has shown that he deeply values America’s diversity and wants it to be fully utilized through his many “firsts” in appointments ranging from the Justice Department to the Surgeon General. So far I give the President an A-.

The past 3 months have been inspiring. I have seen the posts from my fellow bloggers and have reaffirmed my belief that Generation O is truly a unique and completely different generation than anything ever witnessed in America. I firmly believe that within the next 10 to 15 years and with the helping hand of the Obama Administration, we will take this country into the twenty-first century with full speed. I never doubted my generation and this project has surely reaffirmed my confidence in young people’s desire for true progress on many fronts especially related to civil rights of all people.

In terms of what is going on in my life right now, I am still in Dublin, Ireland. I have finished my internship with the Parliament of Ireland and now I am just living in the city centre, socializing with friends, and doing some traveling on the side. I plan to return to the Washington DC area and the University of Virginia for my last year as an undergraduate on August 22. I plan to obtain my undergraduate degree in Politics and Religion in May 2010. Currently, I am in the process of waiting for a placement in the Peace Corps specifically looking at Eastern Europe. I am also looking into graduate schools in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. We will see what happens. It was a pleasure working on this project and I hope that something like this continues. I applaud Newsweek for initiating this project and caring about the voices of young people in today’s America. Cheers!

Yours progressively,

-Eugene