I was born in Liberia and came to the US as a refugee at the age of six. I grew up in Minneapolis and St. Francis, Minnesota, where I found my voice and passion for public service. As a first-generation immigrant growing up in Minnesota, I learned early the value of hard work. It was through hard work and determination that I became a first-generation college graduate at Hamline University, where I earned my BA, and the University of Minnesota, where I earned my MA and PhD in political science.

Like many Minnesotans, I paid for my education through student loans and work, often balancing multiple jobs and several other responsibilities. In this way, I have experienced first-hand how the overwhelming cost of a college education enhances inequities and stifles our collective potential. As an educator and external affairs director for a national education focused non-profit, I understand the importance of accessible and high-quality education. 

My passion and commitment to community service brought me to the Falcon Heights City Council (2020-2024), where I served as the first Liberian-American and the only renter on the Council. On the Council, I supported strong environmental sustainability efforts such as the Native Landscaping Ordinance, allowing residents to plant and nurture native plants on their properties, and also supported an ordinance allowing and establishing standards for front yard vegetable gardens. I helped diversify and expand the region’s housing stock by supporting the transformation of the Ties Building on Larpenteur and Snelling into 125 units of affordable housing in Falcon Heights. I also supported the passage of the most robust infrastructural project in the city’s recent history. 

In the present climate of heightened polarization and political indecency, there is a desperate need to restore civility and trust in our government. I am running in Senate District 44 to be a voice of reason, and to offer leadership that you can believe in. I have served my community with the highest degree of honor, disagreeing when necessary, while maintaining decorum, integrity, and respect for the office that I serve. As your State Senator, I will fight to expand the middle class and remove barriers to our collective potential, while maintaining the highest level of civility in an increasingly uncivil political environment.