It was the economics department that taught me the problems of the widening income gaps, of the larger share of the wealth and income that the top 1 percent is devouring, and of the increasing number of people who are unable to break out of poverty and achieve the American dream, and of the negative effects of international trade that have hurt many Americans. And I learned that these problems have worsened regardless of which party was in power.

It was the history, African-American studies, philosophy and classics departments that showed me that change rarely succeeds with a smile. Rather, it requires an aggressive and unapologetic effort to show those in power that they no longer represent the will of the people. The Republican Party found that out in the primaries, and the Democrats found that out early Wednesday morning.

It was the students of Wesleyan who taught me to not judge a community by its fringe members, one of the messages that I received after the reaction to an article I wrote criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement. Taking their advice, instead of accepting the commonly held theories on the alt-right, I investigated the community of Trump supporters further and found a diverse, intellectual and multifaceted community that prides itself on its all-encompassing embrace of free speech. After following the movement for several months, I now think most members of the alt-right aren’t fueled by racial resentment but want a technocracy with positions earned through merit, instead of through the nepotism and cronyism that they see in Washington.

As I walked around campus the morning after the election, there was an eerie silence complemented perfectly by a misting rain. I had felt the same as these disappointed Wesleyan students when I was in Iraq in 2008, when Senator John McCain was felled by the freshman senator from Illinois.

I had concerns about unity after that election; I had concerns that Barack Obama’s inexperience would lead to a series of mistakes. I was angered by Obama supporters who seemingly attacked any criticism of their candidate, regardless of its content, as bigotry. And yet, I remember being quietly envious of the energy that the Obama campaign was able to generate, of those who had never been interested in politics rapidly becoming passionate about civics. I saw that excitement and had hope that Mr. Obama would bring in fresh ideas to move our country forward, even if I didn’t exactly agree with his methods.