A Malaysian Pride on US Soil – Jocelyn Yow
Jocelyn Yow, a Malaysian-American has recently been making rounds in social media by being elected a mayor in California. She also made history by becoming the youngest woman of colour to be appointed to the post.
Here are some facts about Yow:
- She is of Malaysian Chines and Vietnamese descent. Her father hails from Kedah while her mother is from Vietnam.
- She was born in the US, therefore a US citizen by birthright. Her family moved back to Malaysia while she was still a toddler.
- She lived and grew up in Kedah for some time before returning to the US to attend college.
- She is also currently the policy manager for IGNITE, a national non-profit to elect more women to positions of power.
According to an interview with Malaysiakini, before being elected mayor of Eastvale, a city in California, she has served as a councillor for two years.
Although she is only 25 years old, she has worked as a district representative for California State Senate as an aide for the US House of Representatives whereby she helped seniors, families, small businesses, non-profit organisations and children to access valuable government services.
Image source: https://twitter.com/Jocelyn_Yow/media