The long-awaited day finally came on Tuesday, Jan. 20, when Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States of America.

His call for change was heard around the world as he promised recovery and growth for the U.S. and the world as a whole.

Yes, America is at war. Yes, the economy is badly damaged. Yes, the health care and education systems are failing far too many. And yes, “each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet,” Obama said.

But these daunting challenges did not discourage Obama as he guaranteed Americans a new era of leadership and a stronger nation.

“The challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met,” he said.

While there is no denying that Obama has already inspired hope and change, there are still questions to be asked and answers to be demanded.

His speech was strong and historical, but like any other speech, it had time to be planned and rehearsed. The challenges the U.S. faces and will continue to face cannot be planned nor practiced for.

There are wars to finish and battles that have not yet begun. There are challenges we face in relation to other countries as well as those within our own nation.

Along with our nation’s economy, health care and education system, Obama must also work to make sure all sides of our political system remain balanced.

With a Democratic Congress, and now a Democratic president, it would be easy for the pendulum to swing too far left. But as our president, Obama must make sure to take a center road that is all-inclusive, or our ideal of a truly united states of America could be damaged.

America has a long road of recovery and growth in its future and Obama is right to be “humbled by the task before us.”

Only time will tell whether or not Obama will be as great a president as so many of us are expecting and looking forward to.

Let us hope that his strength will continue to shine and inspire even in the face of current crisis and future challenges.

Welcome President Obama, please don’t let us down.

Leidhra Johnson can be rched at [email protected]