In a couple months, we will say our last farewells to President Barack Obama, and wave hello to our new president as he assumes his position as Commander-in-Chief.

Undoubtedly, we will expect change during the course of the next four years, as the man himself has made it clear that there are quite a few national policies that he vehemently disagrees against. Some of these policies include international relationships, immigration, gun control, and women’s rights to have an abortion.

While Donald Trump has made many claims on how he will address these issues, I do not believe that his ideals can be achieved in one term as America is a democratic republic, not a dictatorship.

The power to make things happen does not rest in the hands of Donald Trump alone; it rests in the hands of the 535+ officials that make up our government elected by the 300 plus million people in our country. It is one thing to propose a bill, but having the approval of two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate is another ball park.

When it was first known to the world that Donald Trump had won the election, I began to fear for our country. I thought about the impact this outcome could have on the people of other countries, our own citizens, those who deserve a path to citizenship, the countless families who have lost loved ones due to gun violence and women all around the U.S. who may be denied rights to choose what is best for them.

However, as the initial shock wore off, I began to realize that nothing was set in stone. Repealing an act will take a very long period of time, and proposing a new one will take even more. If he wants change, the first and foremost step President-elect Trump will have to take is to learn how to compromise and work alongside the House and the Senate. If he cannot gain the ability to think from another perspective and walk in another person’s shoes, then all those exaggerated promises he made during his campaign efforts would be nothing more than empty words.

Even if worst comes to worst— let´s say that for some reason, a bill denying a woman her basic rights got passed and became law— the people of America will not sit quietly.

We, as people who live and work in this country, hold more power than we think. We have a voice and we will use it if we feel like the law is unjust. Our First Amendment rights allow us freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. Just like in the past, we will fight for our rights, and we will make our voices be heard.

America has always been and always will be a country for all people. And because of that, I truly believe that a new presidency will not change any previously established rights that we have.