Editor’s note: This article focuses on students who felt negatively impacted by the results of the 2024 presidential election and is not meant to represent the views of the entire Archer community. All interviews were conducted prior to the inauguration.
Disappointed, confused, shocked and scared.
This was how multiple Archer students responded to a survey prompt asking how they felt regarding the results of the 2024 presidential election. AP News announced early Wednesday, Nov. 6, that Donald Trump had won the presidential election. He was sworn into office Monday, Jan. 20. In the wake of these events, many teens across the country are voicing concerns over what the future holds.
Student Worries
In an Oracle survey sent to the eighth through 12th grades, responses regarding reactions to the election were overwhelmingly negative, with many students citing disappointment with the country and fear that recent liberal achievements will be undone.
“I feel like my future is becoming smaller and smaller, and I fear for myself and my friends,” one student wrote.
Tessa Moshtagi (’26) said she was heavily involved in former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, and she spent many hours phone-banking and working at the polls. Moshtagi said her primary concern regarding a second Trump administration is that women’s rights will continue to be rescinded.
“It feels like we are going backwards as a society. We aren’t learning from mistakes that we’ve made in the past,” Moshtagi said. “We’ve done so much to combat [gender discrimination] and get through it and rise above it … and I just feel like we’re being reset again.”
Senior Phoebe Ramirez said Trump being elected for a second time felt like the country sending a message that it does not value women. Ramirez said she thinks having that message represented politically will be very harmful to young girls of color growing up.
“For all women of color — especially young girls of color — growing up in a society that tells you that you’re not enough, it’s hard to realize,” Ramirez said. “And it’s hard to live through that, having your president as someone who’s blatantly racist, sexist, ableist, everything, and knowing that you can’t really do anything about it — that’s where it gets frustrating.”
Gender and Sexuality Alliance club board member Max Speck (’26) said the election felt like a betrayal of marginalized communities by the rest of the country, who elected someone who will not protect their rights.
“I felt very … betrayed that the majority of the people in this country seem to have very little regard for the lives, well-being and health of what is probably a majority of the country in some way, shape or form,” Speck said.
The results of the election have been especially worrisome to teens from marginalized communities. PBS reported that in the days following the election, The Trevor Project, a hotline for queer youth, received a 700% increase in call volume. Speck said he feels significantly more scared to be trans and sees more challenges to his existence under a Trump administration. On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order calling for the removal of “all radical gender ideology guidance” from the federal government.
“I plan on going on hormone replacement therapy as an adult, and with Trump as president, there is not the protection I would like to see towards that right,” Speck said. “As a queer individual, we already see lots of books being banned, lots of topics being banned, because of containing everyday parts of our lives. And I find that very unsettling, and it feels like my existence is not wanted [because of] stuff I cannot control.”
Watch the video below to hear students share their perspectives on the election.
Social media and polarization
Researchers note that many Americans feel political polarization has been increasing in recent years. Several students said their main worries about the future of the country come from how divided people have become over politics, both nationally and locally. Freshman Maya Cerbo said familial polarization was a source of stress for her leading up to the 2024 election.
“Two parts of my family are on opposite sides [of the issue],” Cerbo said. “I feel kind of torn about it.”
Ramirez said she notices political polarization growing in the United States and worries it will make bridging social divides harder.
“I feel like Trump created a very big divide between Republicans and Democrats and so now, when someone says that they’re Democrat or they’re Republican, there’s very much an idea created about that person, and it’s mostly negative,” Ramirez said. “So it’ll just add on another layer of discrimination for minority communities, and I think that’s something that’s pretty scary.”
While Ramirez is worried about this growing divide between people on opposite sides of the political spectrum, she also said she notices herself perpetuating it to protect her own mental health.
“I’ve noticed that I only surround myself with people who have the same views as me and opinions as me, and those who don’t, I kind of stay away from them, which I know isn’t a very … positive thing or inclusive thing,” Ramirez said. “But I think because of this divide and what I’ve seen that Trump has said and what he’s done, I can’t imagine myself being friends or hanging out with someone who supports him because it’s almost like they’re supporting his values. But I can imagine that they think the same thing about me.”
Clinical psychologist Kavita Ajmere, who has worked as director of counseling at Harvard-Westlake School and Oakwood School, said it is important for people to take care of themselves when having challenging conversations. She recommended setting ground rules and checking in with your own emotions, saying that it is okay to step back from a conversation if it gets too heated. Ajmere also said even just trying to have difficult conversations is brave, regardless of the outcome.
Following Trump’s inauguration and the reinstitution of TikTok, fears of social media censorship have arisen across platforms. Ajmere said social media often perpetuates already stressful situations by overstimulating teens.
“A constant exposure to political news and social media debates can lead to just information fatigue — it’s too much. You all are in school. You have enough going on,” Ajmere said. “And with social media, sometimes it is really hard — for most people, but also for teens — to distinguish between credible information and misinformation, and I think that that can create a lot of confusion and stress.”
Ajmere said she recommends setting boundaries around social media usage so that teens can remain informed without being overwhelmed. Speck said he tries to set such boundaries and find “palatable” ways of staying engaged. He said while hiding from the news and social media can be a helpful short-term coping strategy, it can become harmful in the long-term.
“Avoidance turns into ignorance, and ignorance is how we got here in the first place,” Speck said. “It can be comforting in moments of extreme stress. I think one should always think about what is going on around them when they are comfortable enough to do so, but I do not think [avoidance is] good in the long term.”
Strategies for promoting good mental health
Ajmere said she recommends teenagers focus on four things to take care of their mental health: eating well, moving their bodies, sleeping well and being socially connected. She said humans’ physical wellness greatly influences their mental wellness, and it is difficult to feel good if one is not taking care of their body. Ramirez said playing basketball has helped keep her grounded.
“Athletics provides this outlet for you to just release all your stress, any tension,” Ramirez said. “You definitely do feel better after you exercise, so I think that’s definitely helped keep me maybe a little more sane.”
Moshtagi said one of the things that has helped her handle her emotions has been leaning on her friends and not being afraid to talk about her emotions with them.
“I let myself be very openly sad about it, which was very helpful for me because I do think … I’m not thinking about it as much [anymore],” Moshtagi said. “I think it’s something that probably will come in waves.”
Speck, Moshtagi, Ramirez and Cerbo all said they have been spending more time with their loved ones to help them process their emotions. School counselor Lauren Carrington wrote in an email that she recommends students focus their attention on what they can control, spend time in nature, take a break from social media and use their voices to make an impact where they can. Ajmere said taking action can help people feel less powerless, which is often the source of many worries.
“I am a big fan of, ‘how can you make a mess your message?'” Ajmere said. “I think that there could be some hope and optimism in this and that it might mobilize teens to say, ‘Hey, you know, I care about this cause. I want to be involved with this. I can take action.’ So it can provide a sense of agency, and we all need to feel in our lives agentic — that we are part of change. We are capable of change.“