Dear Eliza,
This is a fascinating, tumultuous time in America as we have just learned our next president will be Donald Trump.
You will look back at him as I do Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and just think of him as a president, not someone who had a previous life as a public figure. Previously, Trump had been known as a New York business man and reality TV celebrity. During his presidential campaign, he said a lot of terrible things about women (hence why you have a "Nasty Woman in Training" shirt) and minorities, but appealed to a set of the population that felt underrepresented or fed up with President Obama and status quo politics. His election is an amazing political feat considering that never before has someone without political or military experience become president.
And never before has a woman become president.
I hoped that as amazing it is that you were born during the time we had a black president, you would next see the first woman president. Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton did not break the highest glass celling. She had a lot working against her and a lot of baggage as a career politician. Like Trump, she wasn't the perfect candidate by any means (and your marketer dad will tell you she didn't deliver a strong, singular message that people could really get behind).
There will be many more presidents in your lifetime, and I am confident you will see the first woman president.
I have to believe that because I have to believe that your potential is not limited. I have to believe, like so many other first-world countries have already, America will elevate a woman to the highest office based upon her qualifications.
Being a politician is a tough career path. Though most people will say I enjoy being in the spotlight, I never had an interest in that kind of attention. Maybe you will. Maybe not. But you will enter some kind of career where you will be evaluated for your skills and potential, and being a woman will affect how you will be treated. Hopefully this is minimized by the efforts of employers and a new generation of female executives creating a more equal workplace. Or you may encounter challenges like women today who fight for equal pay and improved benefits (childcare, extended paid leave, etc.) to help sustain their careers while taking on the toughest job -- being a mom. Hopefully by the time you start your career there will be a lot of progress on those fronts.
I currently work for a CEO at REI who said (I'm paraphrasing), "I have always been unqualified for the jobs I've been given, but people believed in my potential to have success."
I hope that future employers see your potential. I will. I bet more often that not, you will be qualified.
I'll leave you with a quote from Hilary Clinton's concession speech yesterday:
"And — and to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."
Dream big.
Love always, Dad