29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history in November by becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez, a self-declared Democratic socialist, beat veteran Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's congressional primary election in June in a shocking upset and went on to win 78% of the vote in the general election.
Less than a year ago, the political novice was working as a bartender to help support her working-class family.
Scroll down to learn more about her.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx to a working-class family. Her mom is Puerto Rican and her dad is a Bronx native.
"Women like me aren't supposed to run for office," she said in a recent campaign ad. "I wasn't born to a wealthy or powerful family."
Source: Ocasio 2018
Her parents were disappointed in their local schooling system, so her extended family helped fund a move to a better school district.
Shuttling between the Bronx, New York's poorest borough and the home of her extended family, and more affluent New York counties was her first experience of income inequality, she told The Intercept.
She went to Boston University, where she studied economics and international relations. After graduation she took up bartending and waitressing jobs to supplement her mother's income as a housecleaner and bus driver.
Source: The Intercept
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