Like so many people around Ohio, I was excited by the news last week that Wright State University has been selected to host the first presidential debate next year. This is a tremendous opportunity for the university to showcase all that it has to offer and further shows that Ohio is vitally important to our democratic process at the federal level.

There are so many young people in Clinton, Highland, Pike and Ross counties who, like me, attended Wright State to earn a degree that gave them the educational foundation to pursue their interests and talents. I owe so much of my personal development and success to the experience I had at WSU, and I know countless others who feel the same way.

As Americans, we are so fortunate to live in a country where individuals are not only free, but also encouraged, to express their personal beliefs and opinions on matters of politics, religion and culture. One of the greatest examples of this is electing a strong leader in the White House. In order to choose the right man or woman for that daunting job, it is critical that people are engaged in the process and pay attention to the national debate. Debates of all kind provide the American people a chance to weigh both sides of an issue and compare each candidate’s opinions with their own.

A popular phrase that is often used when it comes to presidential elections is “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” Living in the “Heart of it All,” it only makes sense to me that a national spectacle of such importance would be located in Ohio, with the eyes of the nation focused squarely on us. I congratulate Wright State for a well deserved designation, and I can’t wait to continue showcasing to the entire nation all of the things that make Ohio great.