Many of us have recently turned 18, and we have been granted a power that we have not been able to exercise until possibly this month. Many of us will probably wait another three-six months for the primaries to come around, or maybe some will wait one more year until the general election of 2020. Regardless of the timeline, it is approaching very quickly for all of us. It is seen as an exciting time as we first step out to exercise, what is argued to be our biggest power, the right to vote. My paradigm shift topic will allow for the audience to be engaged because of this direct connect. As I discuss in my paradigm shift, the president is increasingly being seen as more and more influential. They are holding several powers in their executive branch due to the expansion of departments and personnel in the branch. There are a myriad of factors that led to this, but the most interesting aspect of the shift is the general increase in the presence of the president. The president has broadened their global presence and takes part in greater issues of foreign affairs. There are many global dealings occurring everyday, and with the president as the representative of America, we want to ensure that the we are being represented appropriately. There is growing stress on the president to act in line with American ideals, and it stems from the people. We want to ensure that we are getting the right person to represent America in these dealings. So, we see this rise in importance of the president. Consequently, we see the rise in importance for people to get involved and vote. We are the next group of kids that can become involved and it is important that we understand why we are doing this and that we have all of the information necessary. In my TED talk, I aim to focus on these direct connects of how the president’s powers and presence have grown, and how we have become more focused on them because of the global representation aspect of the presidency.