Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency brought a number of reactions from students across campus.

In response to the range of raw emotions, St. Edward’s University hosted a post-election reflection Nov. 10. The event was “a non-partisan opportunity for students to share their story about politics and the political process,” Lisa Kirkpatrick, Vice President for Student Affairs, said.

“We are more than Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians … Christians, atheists and Muslims,” Kirkpatrick said. “We are a people.”

Kirkpatrick said she heard from one student asking if there would be a forum if Hillary Clinton had won the election.

“The answer is yes … as a campus community, we have a responsibility to address issues that affect our members,” she said. “And if that’s what we sense in our community, then that’s when we respond.”

For over two hours, student after student took to the podium in front of the crowd in Jones Auditorium to tell their story and experience.

One student who lives in Austin, said that she has been living in a bubble for a long time and didn’t realize it until the election.

“We thought we had moved away from all the racism, all the bigotry … now it has come to light,” she said.

Freshman Richard Paul shared how, his mother, a Mexican-American, suffered racism, hatred and name calling while she was in elementary school.

“She is an avid Trump supporter,” Paul said. “And I don’t think she betrayed anyone by doing that.”

A student, who identified himself as Jacob, grew up in Katy, Texas, surrounded by mostly Republicans.

“When I hear people that do support Trump that are my friends, that are saying racist rhetoric, I take it upon myself — I know the vast majority of Republicans are even like ‘hey, that’s not OK’ because it reflects badly on us.”

Freshman political science major Alejandro was born in Honduras. Hilltop Views is withholding his last name. Alejandro said he came out to understand other people’s perspectives and their backgrounds.

“I was born in a city that had more bullet shells on the ground than people in the city,” Alejandro said. “It was a place where lying, cheating and stealing were at the top of everyone’s agenda.”

Alejandro came to the U.S. as a child. He asked his mother one day after his freshman year of high school for his Social Security number. He wanted to apply to a job.

“Soon after, I realized that I didn’t have one to begin with,” Alejandro said. “This is when I first realized that I am an undocumented immigrant.”

“I am not afraid. I cannot afford to be. I will not allow myself to be,” he said.

Santiago Santana called the post-election reflection an amazing opportunity.

“We don’t want this to end, we should just keep having safe spaces where people are able to come together and talk about politics to an extent where its respectful…,” he said.

Dave Gallander, assistant director of Student Life, said there is talk to have similar events in the future.

“We discussed the feel of campus that [Nov. 9] morning, and obviously there was a need to address our election and how our students were feeling about it,” Gallander said.

The Multicultural Leadership Board postponed their event in Jones and teamed up with other campus leaders to host the reflection.

“There’s a need for discussion for those who were feeling hurt by the results, they needed a place to process,” Gallander said. “And for those who were celebrating, they needed a place to be validated, especially on a liberal arts campus.”

Not surrounding yourself with people that agree with you on everything is part of what Kirkpatrick said at the end.

“It’s important to be engaged in our democracy,” she said.