President- Elect Barack Obama may have the young people of America to thank for his win over Senator John McCain. Over 22 million voters age 18-29 turned out at the polls for this election, which exceeded the 2004 turnout by at least 2.2 million. The youth of this nation not only preferred Obama over McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent, but they also contributed throughout the length of the election by volunteering their time and giving donations (MSNBC.com).

These men and women, referred to as Millennials, are a generation that lives and breathes online where they connect to their friends via e-mail, chat or Facebook. They frequent social media sites because they share ideas with one another when making decisions, from where to hang out at night to which presidential candidate to vote for to which employers are best. They tend to function as a group, and it may have been Obama’s message of unity that ignited such passion in young voters.

We are now seeing their passion and enthusiasm spill over into the workforce. Millennials are accustomed to multi-tasking, they think openly and creatively and as we have just seen in the 2008 election—they are very influential. Employers are seeking these well-educated young people to move their company forward and provide a fresh way of thinking. During our tough economic times, perhaps the hope lies within these confident, empowered individuals.