Woman to be elected. I think it brings forward so many issues immigrants across the country are facing, certainly in a trump that we will see efforts to roll back things we hit we have been working on. I think that deep desire for people sometimesstrongly and i think i feel it more strongly than just the person next to me who assumed they had that their whole life and it is an incredible honor. Wide you think it is that you thrive in that situation as a young girl . Rep. Elect jayapal well, i had an incredible family. My parents still live in india. Ive never been able to bring them here so ive never been able to have them in the same country, but they really raised me with an ethic of working hard and really trying to strive to make society better. Not just for my own life. But also, i think i had a path in to the country in terms of our immigration system through the student visa process. Even though we had little money, we did have some money. So some of it is what i was given and some of it is what i was taught, but not everybody has those same opportunities. I recognize that, as difficult as my path seems sometimes so many of the people ive worked with for the last 25 years have had a much, much harder path. My role really is to try to ease that path forward of opportunity for all working americans across our district and across the country. Ms. Brawner what do your parents think now, today, as you are elected to the house of representatives . Rep. Elect jayapal well, they are so proud and my father doesnt travel any more, but my mother does travel and is coming for the swearing in. We watched the video today. And i have to admit i got emotional thinking about this place that im in, the opportunity that i have to represent 750,000 people, and what it means for my parents, who sacrificed so much for me to be here. I can tell you my mother is going to be in tears through the whole swearingin ceremony, but i think all mothers who are watching their kids achieve something and when we think about the future of the country how do we make it so that all mothers know that their children have opportunities . Thats how i try to connect it back to the work at hand all the time. Ms. Brawner how do you plan to balance your life back in washington state, your family, and traveling thousands of miles here to washington, d. C. To the other coast . Rep. Elect jayapal well, we always say we live in the best washington, washington state. I have to say that on camera. But i think that i have done that for quite some time because i worked with the federal government and with congress on immigration reform. This is going to be different. Its going to be every single week. I have an incredibly supportive family. My son is grown, so i dont have to worry about that. Hes in college. Its really important for me to go back as much as i possibly can every weekend that i possibly can, even if its a long flight, because to me it is what allows me to stay connected to the district that elected me to make sure that im listening to constituents, to make sure that they have an opportunity to know what were doing. Im an organizer at heart. Organizers know that giving information, being in front of people, talking to people, helping to build our movement for the kind of country that we see is the most important thing. So im going to spend every minute that i can back in washington state, not only because were the most beautiful state in the country, but it is an opportunity for me to connect with people. Ms. Brawner have you figured out where you are going to live here . Rep. Elect jayapal i do. I have an apartment about a mile from the capital so that should give me a little bit of exercise. I went to college here in washington, d. C. At Georgetown University when i was 16 years old. So it feels like ive come full circle and i get to explore the city i started my life in america in so many years ago. Ms. Brawner are you going to have a roommate . Rep. Elect jayapal my husband will be my roommate when he is out here. That is one thing im quite happy to have my own place. Ms. Brawner before your political career, what did you do . Rep. Elect jayapal i actually had a number of different careers. I worked on wall street. I have a masters in business. I left that to work in the public sector. After 9 11, i ended up starting the largest immigrant organization. I started path, program for advancement of technology and health. We were expanding health care around the world. Ive sort of had three separate careers. The legislative one is my fourth. But i believe that as long as were learning and growing and continuing to try to do good for the most people possible, then i am doing right. Ms. Brawner where would you like to serve . What committees here in the house . Rep. Elect jayapal you know, its really difficult, as you know, for a firstyear member. So we say what we want and then we see what were given. I would love to serve on judiciary because i have so much experience on immigration policy, on criminal Justice Justice policy, on voting rights. I led the largest drive in the history of washington state. We registered 23,000 new folks vote and i think in this country that is one of the most important things that is were going to be dealing with. So all of those issues. So that would a real honor for me. Workforce and education. Ive done work on early education. Affordable college, and k12. Served on the Opportunity Gap Committee in the state senate. Foreign affairs would be fantastic. And we talked about selected committees, but its highly unusual that firstyear members get on those. But energy and commerce has so many different pieces that are so relevant to the district including dealing with Climate Change and environmental policy. Were so proud that we have so Many Renewable Energy businesses in our state. So much work has been done on hydro power. We have a Booming Health care in our state. Those are all issues that down the road i hope i have the opportunity to serve there. Ms. Brawner your short time here in washington, d. C. , what sticks out to you . Rep. Elect jayapal well, i think the thing that probably sticks out the most is the tremendous honor. It sounds a little corny maybe , but it actually occurs to me almost want every single once every single day. Theres only been 11,000 people that have served in the house be one of those people, if you are a woman or minority there is even fewer that have served in the peoples house. So i think the opportunity to affect policy in a way that really benefits peoples lives. The opportunity to actually be able to provide a pathway for people where they may not have seen it before. And in this particular moment with the very divided country and deep disappointment on our side of the aisle for many, many