On Tuesday, January 12, the President of the United States delivered his final State of the Union Address. The address focused on a wide range of topics — from climate change to the economy. The president also tackled those issues plaguing the minds of Americans in recent months, like gun violence and immigration reform.

However, the theme of his address seemed to be the future of the country. “I want to focus on the next five years, the next 10 years, and beyond,” said Obama. With this statement, the president seemingly handed the torch to the next Commander-in-Chief.

Although approaching a lame-duck presidency this election year, the president has much to accomplish. Among many points on his agenda, he wants to raise the minimum wage, cut the cost of college, and maintain the security of the American people.

As a school living in the shadow of the nation’s capital, Roosevelt’s students had their own opinions of the speech. Senior Yaregal Tiliksew said “I think he did really well. He accurately conveyed his accomplishments over his presidency.”

Some of the accomplishments relayed in his speech were those of past Americans, from inventing the first light bulb to landing a man on the moon. While others were more recent, like the restoration of relations between the United States and Cuba and the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.

Despite the ongoing threat from ISIS and the increasing divide between political parties, the president made some bold claims. “The United States of America . . . has the strongest, most durable economy in the world,” said Obama adamantly. Sophomore Roseanne Delcerna reacted by saying, “The economy has been improving slowly . . . gradually.”

The president also made many promises to the American people. Some included ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and finding a cure for cancer. The president believes that all these challenges are “within our reach.” “I didn’t believe in any of the promises he kept making,” said Delcerna regarding the issue.

Roosevelt students reacted most passionately to the topic of immigration. With a growing concern for the influx of Muslims in the United States, the president responded saying that Americans should “reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion.”

Junior Yeganeh Dastani agreed wholeheartedly saying, “Wasn’t our country founded by people fleeing persecution due to religion, due to race?” Junior Shaan Singh said “You can’t label an entire population based on the act of a small group. Not everybody in the Islamic religion is a terrorist.”

In the end, the president left the American people with hope. “I believe in change because I believe in you,” said Obama, giving a nod to the three words that ushered him into office almost a decade ago – “Yes we can.”