President Barack Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address last night and social media was buzzing with peoples’ reactions to the speech. While all of his ideas will affect us in some way, here is a list of the most important proposals for students our age.

1. Technological advancements have given rise to a new generation of jobs that require a higher level of education.

According to Obama, two in three job openings in the next decade will mandate some college education. The President proposed a program that gives every American the opportunity to attend two years of Community College for free, as long as they graduate on time and maintain a certain GPA.

President Obama’s goal is for two years of college to be “as free and universal in America as high school is today.”

According to the Maryland Equality project, 80.1 percent of high school seniors graduated in 2009. With the availability of a free education at community colleges, more of these graduates can pursue college degrees.

2. Our generation is the first to have an abundance of knowledge and opportunities at our fingertips through the Internet.

President Obama highlighted the importance of the protection of the free and open Internet.

He plans to “extend its reach to every classroom, and every community, and help folks build the fastest networks, so that the next generation of digital innovators and entrepreneurs have the platform to keep reshaping our world.”

While Whitman has implemented chromebooks and wireless Internet over the last year, the integration of technology poses new questions about schools’ policies regarding technology.

3. Women’s rights has been a pressing issue for decades in the United States, spanning from healthcare rights to equal pay.

The President carefully crafted his words last night so as not to outwardly support Roe v. Wade. Yet he made his stance clear about the need to protect a woman’s health care needs and rights.

“We still may not agree on a woman’s right to choose, but surely we can agree it’s a good thing that teen pregnancies and abortions are nearing all-time lows, and that every woman should have access to the health care she needs,” he said.

The national teen pregnancy rate dropped 10 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to Health and Human Services.

President Obama hit on another long-standing women’s rights issue last night—equal pay for equal work.

“Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It’s 2015. It’s time,” he said.

4. A recurring theme throughout the Obama Administration has been raising the minimum wage.

Once again, President Obama proposed raising the minimum wage, whether it be a part-time summer job or a full-time career, to help millions of Americans living in poverty.

The President addressed Congress and declared, “If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.”

Currently, the minimum wage in Maryland is $8, up from $7.25 prior to 2014.

5. 14 of the 15 warmest years ever recorded happen to be in the last 15 years.

President Obama gathered support from globally renowned scientists to verify the immediate severity of climate change.

Some of the continuing and future global effects of climate change are “rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict, and hunger around the globe,” President Obama said.

These effects of climate change are considered immediate issues for national security.

“That’s why we’ve set aside more public lands and waters than any administration in history. And that’s why I will not let this Congress endanger the health of our children by turning back the clock on our efforts,” President Obama said.