As the results of the 2024 presidential contest became clear after Election Day on Nov. 5, the Akins community shared strong reactions to the news that Donald Trump was elected to serve a second term and is set to become the 47th president of the United States.
To capture the campus’ reactions to the election results The Eagle’s Eye shared an online survey with students and staff to ask them about how they felt, including a question in which they were asked to say how they felt in one word. A sampling of the responses includes the following: afraid, great, horrible, cooked, furious, worried, good, and heart- broken.
However, the word most commonly used was disappoint- ed, appearing six times in 30 responses from the survey. Reaction at Akins
Out of the numerous responses, about 67% said they felt negatively about the results of the election and Trump’s return to serve as president.
When asked about any immediate concerns they may have with Trump’s presidency, a teacher wrote, “Already, Trump has announced his intentions to both harm and hide LGBTQ+ folks. I’m worried for migrant families. I’m worried for the continued decline in reproductive rights protection.”
Senior Kaliyan Phang wrote that her main concern is about women’s reproductive health.
“Hundreds of women die from not having proper access to the help they need, and our future president wants to let that continue,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, the other roughly 30% of respondents took a different view of the election and pointed out the positive effects on the country. Junior Melanie Valdez wrote that under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. experienced significant economic growth before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unemployment rates reached historic lows” and “Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation were credited by supporters for helping stimulate the economy.”
When asked about issues they hope will be addressed during Trump’s presidency, another junior said that they were “happy he was reelected. I know he’s not a good man but he’s a smart president.”
Political Science Class
Students enrolled in the school’s first political science elective class are receiving an early opportunity to take a deep dive into the world of politics.
Political science is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political institutions, and political behavior. All of this comes in handy in a presidential election year when politicians have dominated the headlines, striving to win the votes to win the election.
In the days after the Nov. 5 election, the results of the presidential election became a hot topic in the classroom as students wanted to discuss their opinions on Donald Trump’s victory.
Trump won the election because of economic issues related to consumers paying higher prices for everyday items because of inflation related to recovering from the COVID pandemic. The Eagle’s Eye did not require students to share their names so they felt comfortable sharing their thoughts anonymously during a classroom discussion after the election.
“I believe, because of his past presidency, because of how the economy was back then, even though it was said that it was still Obama’s (economy) back then, but it just kind of ran through Trump’s presidency,” they said. “But I guess a bunch of his fans still decided to vote for him again, especially because he was running up against a woman. I feel like it’s the new thing, especially for her, since she would have been the first woman black president in history. So I don’t think they were going to be ready for that.”
Another student had a different take on Trump’s win.
“I think he won because a lot of people think that he’s a leader and that he’s he’s a person with a voice that can say whatever he wants, do whatever he wants, and won’t get in trouble for it,” they said.
Besides getting to discuss current events in class, another student said the political science class has helped him learn about how he can get more involved in the political process.
“I always want to be active in my community and help people like understand how things work and help them if they need help on something,” junior Carter Penwell said.
