On the morning of Saturday, January 21st, I woke up with excitement for the day ahead. I grabbed my sign and headed to Panera with my mom to fuel up for the long day. I was going to the Washington D.C. Women’s March and I was filled with anticipation. Little did I know how much this march would impact by views on women’s rights and how many people would stand with me that day.

We started at the Greenbelt metro station, having had to park a mile away from the actual station because the parking lot was completely filled up with 3,000 cars. There were thousands of people on line just to get on the metro, so we stood outside  for about an hour and a half, which gave my mom and I time to meet some other women there for the march. I asked them why they were marching. The younger girls said “for their futures” and the older women said they were marching for young girls to get the rights they never had as young women.

We finally got on the metro after another hour of standing with only inches between me and the person next to me. Almost all of the women I saw had on “pussy hats,” which were pink hats with two pointed ends to resemble cat’s ears. These were made by women all over the country to show the new president, Donald Trump, that he can’t defy them or “grab them by the pussy,” as he stated that he has done in the past. A kind woman gave me an extra hat, which made my day.

When I got off the train, all I saw were a sea of pink hats and signs of all sizes and colors roaming the streets. Probably one of my favorite aspects of the day was the unique signs everyone created. No two signs were the same and each one had a creative twist.  Men also came out to show support for their sisters, wives, and daughters, holding signs like, “Her body, her rules!”

When the beginning of the march was approaching, I couldn’t move because we were all so close together. There was a sort of noise wave that happened every 20 minutes or so – you would hear a silent roar of screaming and then it would get louder and louder until it was your turn to scream and let your emotions go haywire. People held up their signs and yelled with passion to show that we do have a voice and we will be heard.

Hundreds of thousands of women were marching with me, chanting and protesting for equal rights that no person can ever take away. While I was marching, I could hear singer Alicia Keys giving an inspirational speech on the street just next to us, which was just surreal. We marched for about an hour and then decided to go back on the metro before the massive crowds came. While we were walking towards the station, I stood back and just took in the thousands of people walking in the streets before me. I was such a powerful sight to see – a pink sea of thousands of people standing up for a cause they believe in. I’ve never experienced something like that before and I know I won’t ever forget it.

I was exhausted when I stepped on the metro and finally sat down after almost 8 hours of standing. I sat back, taking in the day, and thinking about how I was a part of history.

The Women’s March put a fire in me.  I want to keep fighting and speaking out for equal rights. It was the most powerful experience I’ve ever been a part of.