PETALING JAYA: A 25-year-old woman with Malaysian heritage has become the mayor of Eastvale (Riverside County) in California.
Jocelyn Yow's Malaysian father and Vietnamese mother moved to the United States in the 1990s.
The mother of a six-month old baby boy said in an Instagram post that she was proud to be a Malaysian-Vietnamese-Chinese-American.
"My dad came here from Malaysia in the 1980s in order to pursue a higher education and a better future.
"In 1996, we had to move to Malaysia when my paternal grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, and I ended up spending over 10 years there, allowing me to learn more about our family history, heritage and culture," she said in an Instagram post.
She added that despite having little to nothing when her parents were just starting out in their career, they always emphasised the importance of public service and giving back.
"I am honoured to be my parents' daughter, and I am proud to be a Malaysian-Vietnamese-Chinese-American," she said in the post while posing in a black Baju Kebaya.
Yow was officially sworn in this week as the mayor, making her the youngest woman of colour to ever serve as mayor of a California city.
She was elected to the Eastvale City Council in 2018 and served as pro-tem mayor before becoming mayor this year.
According to CBS Los Angeles, Yow is a Norco College and UC Berkeley graduate and is currently pursuing a masters degree in government at Harvard Extension.
She has served as a district representative for the California State Senate and also as an aide for the United States House of Representatives. - Star
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