The three days of waiting to hear who our next president would be were complete torture. And I mean it. I could never stop refreshing the election map, even though it refreshed itself every few seconds. The TV was always on ABC News or CNN. And the thought of Donald Trump winning was consuming me.

But on Saturday morning, the news was called. And on Saturday night, I watched President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take the stage and speak to the American people. I felt like I could really, truly breathe for the first time in four years as a young, Hispanic woman in the U.S. I think that feeling of complete relief and joy has been twisted to make others believe I am some die-hard Biden supporter, and I am not. But he is our only hope.

Listening to Biden speak, watching his “America the Beautiful” campaign video and scrolling through countless TikToks about the Biden/Harris victory, the happy-tears would not stop flowing all day. And that’s because the hope that Biden brings is so tangible.

Was Biden my first choice? No, not in the slightest. My love for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders ran deep and still does. But Biden was our only viable option. And now he’s here, and we have to run with it.

I am so excited to be witnessing history unfold as Harris will be the first Black, South Asian and female Vice President. I am beyond happy that little boys, girls, and people get to see that they can follow their dreams too. My hope of government officials resembling the actual demographics in this country is slowly coming to life, and I am ecstatic.

Of course there is still a lot of work to be done because Biden and Harris were not the perfect candidates for the job. The thing is, it’s not that I don’t support Biden. I agree with his policies, especially on healthcare, the environment and following science to combat the coronavirus. I think he will make the necessary change we need in order to continue fighting for human rights and equality.

Although I don’t agree with some of the things they have said and done in the past, I truly believe Biden and Harris have changed. Biden’s growth is especially evident in the fact that he included transgender people in his victory speech and has been rooting for the LGBTQ+ community since his campaign started. Does this align with what he has said in the past? No. But people change, and we need to give him and Harris room to grow.

The mere act of supporting them does not mean that I will turn a blind eye to their mistakes and possible areas for critique, though, which highlights a stark difference between Trump supporters and everyone else. And it is the key reason why this country has been on a downward slope since 2016.

Trump supporters’ undying love for Trump is truly the definition of the blind leading the blind. And this mentality coming from the highest official in this country and trickling down to the quietly racist, homophobic and sexist people across the nation is so dangerous.

Biden leading our country will make a world of a difference. He and Harris have moral compasses and human decency. And that is the one thing the U.S. has completely lacked these last four years. On top of that, we finally have a woman responsible for leading our nation. White men are no longer the precedent for this office, which should make everyone happy.

Maybe Biden’s not the perfect guy. And maybe Harris isn’t the perfect lady. But I believe they are both stand-up, kind-hearted people. Because of them, true progression is upon us. I can feel it.