Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton held one of her first official presidential campaign rallies in Omaha, Nebraska on August 1^st, 2016.

I had the privilege of attending this event with my best friend from high school and her family. We got in line for the event at approximately 11:00 a.m., and began what would be our three-and-a-half hour wait to get into the building, then another two hour wait for the rally to truly begin.

Once inside the building, positive pop-heavy music was played to help pass the time and hype up the crowd, including the likes of Katy Perry (who has openly expressed her admiration for Clinton), Kelly Clarkson and Pharrell Williams.

We had the pleasure of getting to hear business mogul Warren Buffett speak first. Warren offered a unique perspective as a Hillary supporter, acknowledging the fact that he, like her opponent, Donald Trump, is a millionaire and has not sacrificed or suffered much in his lifetime. Buffett directly attacked Trump’s interview in which he claims he was attacked by the Khan family at the Democratic National Convention.

“I have made no sacrifice. No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan, and no member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. We have both done extremely well. Our families haven’t sacrificed anything, and I have not sacrificed anything,” said Buffett.

Soon, it was Hillary’s turn to speak, she met an anxious, excited and supportive crowd who began cheering loudly and chanting, “U-S-A, U-S-A” and “HILL-A-RY, HILL-A-RY”.

Once the crowd began to settle, she spoke strongly on her opposition against the hate and negativity that Trump spews. She spoke about how she feels that when speaking about the state of our country, Trump often forgets about the Americans who continually work together to uphold the examples that were set out for us by our country’s founders so many years ago.

She also outlined the platforms she stood for and what she hopes to do, if elected as our next president. She advocated for creating new jobs and better supporting small businesses, raising the minimum wage, liberating student debt, making college more affordable, fairer taxes for the middle and lower classes, and working in rural areas to create better energy from clean and renewable sources.

You may be asking yourself why I feel this was worth it. Driving approximately three hours, waiting another nearly six just to hear a politician speak may seem pointless to some, when you can turn on your T.V. and see the same thing without all the hassle.

This was a once in a lifetime experience, not only as a registered democrat who hopes to keep hate out of our capital, or a first-time voter who is excited to share her opinions, or a woman who is ecstatic at the possibility of seeing someone like her in office. This was a once in a lifetime experience as an American wanting to change her country for the better.

The atmosphere at the event could easily be described as positive. From waiting in line, to sitting and waiting to hear her speak, every person I spoke to always had positive things to say about their country.

Growing up liberal in a conservative state, I have learned how to keep my opinions to myself, to avoid an argument. So, it was an adjustment, to say the least, to know that I could openly express how I felt in this environment and know that I would not be attacked for how I feel.

Regardless of which political party you side with, where you are from, who you love, what you do or do not worship, I hope that everyone will get to experience this feeling in their lifetime.

What we must remember in the upcoming months as we begin to see a plethora of campaign ads, debates and news biasing one side over the other, is that our country was founded on the principles that the Constitution set out for us. This includes promoting justice, domestic tranquility, general welfare and ensuring that we secure the liberty of not only ourselves, but upcoming generations as well. We must leave our country in better condition than we found it in.