As the presidential election approaches and candidates vie for the attention of voters, UNC-Wilmington students have been taking the initiative to look at each individual candidate and find which one works best for them.

The Seahawk previously wrote about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and this week we look at the first candidate to announce her bid for the democratic nominee back in April of 2015: Hilary Clinton.

Clinton previously ran for the presidency in 2008 before yielding to President Barack Obama, and some students are excited about the prospect of a first female president.

“I want to vote for Hillary [Clinton] because of all that she stands for,” said UNCW sophomore and Social Work major Paige Myers. “I like how she is focusing on a lot on women’s rights, the funding of Planned Parenthood, and especially stricter gun [control] laws.”

Clinton has been a large proponent in the fight for women’s rights since her time as the First Lady, and her stances have not changed. According to website CARE2’s candidate profile on Clinton, the presidential candidate has “consistently advocated for the full inclusion of women in society on both humanitarian and economic grounds.”

For instance, equal pay and abortion access for women are important parts of Clinton’s platform, as well as fostering international concern about the oppression of women.

One way Clinton plans to combat the oppression of women worldwide is by instating a new $600 million effort through the Clinton Global Initiative to help disadvantaged girls attend secondary school, according to an article posted on The Hill’s website.

“Hillary Clinton believes that equal opportunity and success for women and girls builds a better future for all, and that’s why she led efforts to study and improve education opportunities for girls so they have a chance for a brighter future,” said Adrienne Elrod, the communications director for Correct the Record [the pro-Hillary super-PAC], in The Hill’s article.

On other issues like gun control, Clinton “strongly favors increased gun control efforts and publicly advocates for stricter gun laws,” according to CARE2.

The Washington Post also wrote about Clinton’s views on gun control, observing that this issue is one of the only areas where she is “to the left of democratic socialist presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders.” Her views on gun control are also very similar to that of her husband President Bill Clinton’s, as he banned assault weapons in 1995.

Myers also likes Clinton for the presidency because of “Hillary’s experience and connections in the White House. I would not mind if Bernie [Sanders] won, but [Hillary’s experience] would be a good asset to the presidency.”

However, the idea of having Hillary Clinton as president does not please everyone. UNCW sophomore Zachary Drennan has issues with Clinton’s inability to be completely upfront and honest with American citizens.

“[She lied] about the purpose of her personal email account, the entire event of Benghazi, and it was suspicious how she injured herself before a court date,” said Drennan.

With Benghazi and the issue surrounding her personal email account, Clinton’s opponents have found it impossible to trust her as a possible presidential nominee. Marco Rubio even went so far as to say when the news of her emails came to light, “it was the week she got exposed as a liar.”

Nevertheless, no matter the actions or beliefs of a specific candidate, this discussion amongst UNCW students could have a positive impact. Myers finds that an open discussion with college students could help promote interest and voting within a demographic that usually shows little concern for politics.