I am hopeful President Barack Obama will expand on the progressive vision for the country he laid out in his inaugural address. As a student, I am most excited to hear his plans for this country’s education system. He campaigned on hiring 100,000 new math and science teachers, and I look forward to hearing how he will accomplish this, especially in light of state governments cutting back on education funding. I also hope he will detail how he plans to keep interest rates low for college students.

Furthermore, I would like the president to continue treating climate change as a top priority for his second term. As a young American, I am extremely concerned about the effects of rising temperatures and sea levels over my lifetime. I hope President Obama will detail his plans to reduce carbon emissions, specifically through regulations reducing pollution from coal power plants.

President Obama made history during his campaign for his personal support of gay marriage. I look forward to the president continuing to advocate for the LGBTQ community and build on his previous accomplishments, like ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Specifically, I hope the president will continue to push for an LGBTQ-inclusive immigration reform package creating a pathway to citizenship. As Republicans examine their recent electoral struggles with the Latino community, now is the time to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform allowing undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows.

Finally, I hope the president again urges Congress to act on his proposals to reduce gun violence. Common sense measures such as ending the gun show loophole, limiting magazine size and banning assault weapons can save lives. This nation has seen too many mentally ill individuals acquire assault weapons too easily. The time is now to enact measures to reduce gun violence, and I hope the president will spur Congress to action. President Obama has a fantastic opportunity to continue pushing the progressive vision of America he outlined in his inaugural address, and I look forward to hearing his proposals for his second term.

Chris Hoffman ([email protected]) is chair of the College Democrats.