What is hope? What does it look like? Can it be measured in tangible metrics so that we can scientifically examine it’s qualities? No, it can’t. In fact, hope can mean different things to different people.

I was born in poverty in southwest Mississippi. I was raised by my single mother. We didn’t have much. In fact, we had next to nothing. But one thing that was drilled into me from the cradle, was the concept of hope: Hope that we could pay our bills. Hope that we would have enough money for food. Hope to survive.

So hope is something that I’m very familiar with.

When President Obama burst onto the national scene in 2008, his message of hope resonated with many. I found comfort in his message, because I was so familiar with hope.

I knew the benefits of hope, from what I was able to achieve in my own life. Hope was what drove me to succeed and better myself through education, even when it seemed as if everything around me was designed to make me fail.

When I was 16, I reached (what I considered at the time to be) the apex of my educational journey. After winning an essay contest, I was rewarded with my very first trip to Washington, D.C. To that young boy that grew up in poverty, this was it. I had made it.

This journey, without a doubt, awakened my personal self-esteem and enabled me to believe that I was better than the poverty that had surrounded me my entire life.

This is what hope had done for me. So it was a no-brainer when I, as a fresh college graduate, heard then-Senator Barack Obama champion the message of hope to Americans, telling us that we could use hope to inspire change. I knew then and there that this was a man that I needed to support, because his message spoke directly to me. I knew that his message could help others realize the power of hope.

Then it happened: The economic crisis of 2008. Many of my college buddies lost their homes. Many of us who were fresh out of college, looking for work, were unable to find anything. I applied for over 200 jobs, day in and day out, but nothing presented itself.

I felt the pangs of helplessness; but I was familiar with this feeling. After all, I grew up in poverty.

But it was ironic to me that so many had never felt this before. So many of my friends were experiencing for the first time what I had felt my entire life; and they were now in need of what fed me and drove me: They were in need of hope.

As the economy spiraled downward, candidate Obama detailed his plan to recover the economic might of the USA through legislation and strong leadership; but he always made sure to mention perhaps the most central part of his plan: Hope.

So while finalizing my decision on who to vote for, I examined his message and the message of his opponents. For me, it wasn’t about race or religion or creed. It was simply about me, a citizen of this great country, being able to enjoy a good quality of life: I wanted to obtain a career, pay back my student loans, and live comfortably. I possessed the hope that this was possible for me, regardless of the circumstances that I had been born into.

So trusting hope, I voted for an African America President for the very first time in November 2008 casting my ballot for Barack Obama.

In a matter of months, President Obama began to make progress, easing the strains of the recession and leading the country to a new age of prosperity and opportunity for all Americans.

After the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, I was given the opportunity to begin my career as a public servant. If the President had not signed the act, it’s quite possible that I would have become one of those college graduates that were either forced to work in a field other than what they went to school for; or I might not have had a job at all.

This is the type of hope that President Obama provided for many Americans. He changed my life for the better; and my success story is one of millions.

Those who had debilitating sicknesses and diseases got a new chance at life and wellness through the healthcare reform that the President promised and delivered. The Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) changed the lives of millions of Americans.

When he delivered on his promise to end the war in Iraq, the President practically gave a new lease on life to thousands of great servicemen and women who were stationed in the dangerous territories of the Middle East. The President brought them home where they could serve their country on a safer battlefield.

When our Commander-in-Chief ordered the raid that eliminated the terrorist Osama Bin Laden, he saved millions of Americans from future potential attacks that might have rocked the very fabric of our American society once again.

When President Obama toured the world on behalf of America, presenting the image of a dignified, compassionate and strong individual, he improved the image of all Americans who traveled abroad.

When our President took a stand for the LGBTQ community, and championed the rights of Americans to love whoever they choose, it was unprecedented progress for those who had faced nothing but marginalism their whole lives.

So President Obama did much for Americans. He restored the American Dream that had been dashed for so many Americans during the Great Recession.

My story is that of a young man who was given the opportunity to succeed in this great land of opportunity. That’s my story; but perhaps your story is different. Perhaps President Obama gave you hope in a different way; and that’s okay. That’s what the job of a President is: To provide hope to Americans, no matter our background, age, religion, race or sexual orientation; because once we have hope, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

I’m proof of this; and you are too. I challenge every American to look at where you were 8 years ago during the financial crisis of 2008, and compare it to where you are now.

As the President told us during his farewell address: We, Americans, are the change. We’ve accomplished so much; and there is still much to do. But with hope, we are more empowered than ever to change our communities, our cities, our states and our country for the better. I look forward to working with many of you, my fellow Americans, to realize the dream that comes from our ability to hope.

Duvalier J. Malone is a Fayette native, now residing in Washington, D.C. He is the CEO and founder of Duvalier Malone Enterprises.