Critics of the upcoming election seem to think that fewer young Americans are interested in supporting President Obama. Well, not one person who attended the Charlottesville/Albemarle High School Night phone bank could possibly come away thinking that.

On a weeknight, a time when I think most of my peers would have been at home studying for finals and working on last minute school projects, I was thrilled to be surrounded by so many of my friends and people I didn’t know, phone banking side-by-side for President Obama. There we were, students from neighboring high schools, and like-minded young people, and a local club, the Young Liberals, working toward common goals, the re-election of our president and the encouragement of people just like us to come out to volunteer.

My friends and I support President Obama for many reasons. We know that he will continue to fight to make college more affordable and student loans less burdensome, so that we all can have a fair chance to work hard and achieve our dreams. We know that President Obama is committed to localizing our fuel economy and investing in sensible, eco-friendly energy. We’re inspired by his mission to protect women’s health and ensure access to preventive care. And we whole-heartedly support his commitment to ensuring fairness for all Americans. There are a lot of reasons to have pride in President Obama.

We have big plans to do our part in the campaign. We’ll be staffing weekly phone banks, canvassing voters door-to-door, and registering new voters. For those of us who will be eligible to vote in November, we are looking forward to casting our very first votes for the guy who has our back—President Obama.

If this will be your first time voting, join Young Americans for Obama.

A version of this was posted May 30 on the Virginia state blog.