Is it possible for any individual, no matter his or her political or social background, to gain the office of president and effect change?

I should point out that I wish to learn from the answers. I have no agenda of my own. I have suspisions based on observation from a biased media, but no education in the area of polotics. It just seems like a long struggle of meaninless he said she said that amounts to very little for most of our problems. With the structure of the two party system, special interest groups, money involved and lack of participation of the mass of the people, either by means or by choice, not much gets done. Thank you for your participation.