Dear President Barack Obama,

As the Republicans and Democrats fight over your current job, you continue to try to better the lives of the American people. Even though it will not gain you anything, and probably just exhaust you even more, you work tirelessly to serve your country in the best way possible.

As the 44th president, you stepped into the office and proved that race does not and should not matter when selecting a leader. What should matter is good morals, vast knowledge, and experience.

And while you may not have ended slavery (like Abraham Lincoln) or fought for America’s independence (like George Washington), you have some powerful accomplishments under your belt.

You tried to make the American health care system more affordable, so that when people get sick they can actually go to the doctor and get better. While the methods may have been a little rough, your heart was in the right place. You failed (in the eyes of many Americans), but at least you tried; some people do not have that kind of courage.

You also brought justice to a man many hold responsible for the death of a loved one. You were part of the decision to send a Navy SEAL team in to track down and kill Osama bin Laden, former Al-Qaeda leader. This man was responsible for the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on that tragic Tuesday on Sept. 11 in 2001.

In 2009 you received one of the greatest and most revered awards in the world, the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Foundation awarded you this honor “for extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

And closer to my home, you declared Flint to be a federal emergency. By doing this you made it possible for my home to receive financial aid from the federal government. I hope that the state government will use this wisely and put it toward putting in new water pipes. Although it could have not been declared a disaster, you did what you could to show support and give us the help we desperately need.

Although I was not personally poisoned by the polluted water, many of the people I go to school with were, and I know just how dangerous lead can be.

Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Jason Rezaian, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari also have a big reason to thank you. You worked to have these men returned from Iran after they were held hostage there. This shows your belief that every life counts and that a true leader never leaves anyone behind.

There are countless other accomplishments I could name, but we would be here all day. I think it is safe to say that you ran this country with a kind, firm hand and strived to make Americans feel like they are in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

And you did all of that, while still managing to be a great father to Malia and Sasha and a wonderful husband to Michelle.

People may criticize you, but unless they have been in your position, they have no room to talk. There are only 43 men in history, and only four who are still alive (Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush), who know what it is like to be the U.S. president. Most of the people who are criticizing y0u should remember that they do not know what it feels like to have the weight of a nation on their shoulders.

With just under a year left, I am excited to see what more you will accomplish as president of the United States.

I  grew up with you as my country’s leader and it will be sad to see your last day as president.

Sincerely,

A grateful American citizen.