25-year-old new mom becomes California’s youngest woman of color to be mayor

Jocelyn Yow has become the youngest mayor to serve in the state of California after winning the mayoral election in Eastvale, Calif., at the age of 25.

Yow was elected to the Eastvale City Council in 2018, CBS Los Angeles reports, and worked as the acting mayor before being elected to the position. As the news station notes, Eastvale is a rather new city, having been incorporated in 2010.

Congrats to Eastvale Councilmember-Elect and #IGNITEalumni @Jocelyn_Yow for winning her race! pic.twitter.com/7Rhbbazr2t

— IGNITE National (@IGNITE_National) November 8, 2018

Yow is a graduate of Norco College and UC Berkeley and is pursuing a master’s degree in government at Harvard Extension. She is the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Malaysian immigrant, and a new mother to a 6-month-old boy.

“Being a new mom to a 6-month-old further fuels my passion to serve my community,” Yow said. “Local government makes decisions that affect our daily lives and is where we can directly see democracy in action.”

Despite her young age, Yow has an extensive background in political work. She previously served as a district representative in the California State Senate and also worked as an aide in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Apart from her local government work, she is also the policy manager for IGNITE, a nonprofit organization that seeks to elect more women of color to positions of power.

“While I will be the youngest woman of color and one of the very few young mothers to serve as a mayor in the state of California, I am hopeful that more young women and mothers will follow suit,” Yow said.