In November 2020, the OHS Observer published an article listing the different opinions international students of OHS hold on the 59th presidential election. The election was dubbed as the “most important in US History” and a lot of Americans, including the former President of the United States, claimed that it was rigged and requested a recount of the votes. Now, with the election results confirmed, Biden and Harris begin their terms. Students and instructors of the OHS community express their opinions and hopes for the new administration.

One OHS senior hopes for amelioration in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic: “I’m most looking forward to seeing how fast the vaccine rollout will happen – I’m so ready for Covid-19 to be done with!!” While January of 2021 has been the deadliest month of the pandemic so far, the Biden administration claims to be ‘laser-focused’ on getting the virus under control and, according to the Biden official website, is working with experts to “ensure public health decisions are informed by public health professionals.”

As for non-pandemic related issues, this OHSer is hoping for more affordability of education: “I’d like the administration to improve education systems by increasing funding for public schools while reducing student loans for college students.” The Biden plan for supporting educators is providing teachers with a competitive wage, as well as benefits. Regarding student loans, the President is proposing a $10,000 cancellation of federal student loan, but has not yet stated whether it will come from Congress or the executive branch of the government.  

Mrs. Shields, Director of the Writing & Tutoring Center at the OHS hopes that the “Biden administration will balance the health of citizens with that of the US economy and the environment.“ An OHS student shares her expectations, stating that healthcare should be “more affordable for everyone to access since [it] isn’t something that should be “too expensive” for people to have.”

One international student is not sure how they feel about the outcome of the election as they are worried about how the relationship between their country and the US will be affected. They hope that “the relation[ship] US has with [their] country will be the same as it was when Mr. Trump was president (good).” 

But not everyone at the OHS is looking forward to the changes the new administration might bring. One 7th grader states that the Cabinet has “already destroyed women’s sports; that’s enough in my opinion.” Concerning gender equality in sports, Joe Biden has signed an executive order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” Though this order does not explicitly mention women’s sports, it does assert that “[c]hildren should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”

Another 7th grader does not want any more changes: “they [members of the Biden administration] have already done enough I think.” As of February 3rd, 2021, Biden has signed 28 executive orders since taking office.