As the transition of Donald Trump starts to roll along, the current President is preparing for life after the White House and wrapping up his legacy over the last 8 years. Barack Obama made history in 2008 when he became the first African-American President of the United States. Over the last two terms, he has made significant changes and contributions to the American lifestyle, all producing varying degrees of success.

Sophomore Andrew Borges believes Obama will be viewed as “a president that failed to really take initiative to the progressive values that propelled his original 2008 campaign to victory, but did some great things that should not be reversed.”

Another 10th grader, who wants to remain anonymous, claims the most important of “Obama’s legac[ies] is Obamacare, which has helped many Americans with their healthcare.”

Sophomore Kevin McKenna seems to disagree and believes that over the last 8 years, the country “has seen many damaging effects like the fact that businesses want to leave the country because they are taxed and regulated to death. There are also disturbing statistics related to labor force participation, poverty level, GDP growth, and other areas of the economy.”

Obama’s major accomplishments include the legalization of same-sex marriage, the Iran Nuclear Deal, improvement in the United States and Cuba relations, Obamacare, and the recovery of the economy after the 2008 recession.

According to CBS News, Obama finds “this progress” to be “because of [the American people] — because of workers rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done and entrepreneurs starting new businesses. Because of teachers and health workers and parents — all of us taking care of each other. Because of our incredible men and women in uniform, serving to protect us all. Because, when we’re united as Americans, there’s nothing that we cannot do.”

The Affordable Care Act issued health insurance to millions of people. According to Politico, it contained “dozens of less prominent provisions to rein in the soaring cost and transform the dysfunctional delivery of American medicine.” America is often cited as the only major country in the world that does not offer universal healthcare to its people. This initiative aimed to fix this.

Rolling Stone reports that Obama also accomplished various financial reforms and guided the nation through the turbulent time period of the 2008 financial crisis. His financial policies helped Americans avoid a second Great Depression.

Obama also regulated the big banks by working for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, According to The Balance, this act “improved regulation of eight areas that led to the financial crisis.”

Other major legacies of Obama are the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the negotiation of a climate change agreement. During Obama’s presidency, the leader of al Qaeda was killed. Along with terrorism, the major threat for the future of the world will be climate change. Obama worked for the International Climate Agreement between numerous countries in order to combat the increasing threat of global warming and climate change.

You can see a virtual museum of Barack Obama’s presidency at the Washington Post. Check it out!