Syrita Steib, a Democrat, is an American politician and scientist. She is running for the primary elections in Louisiana, which are scheduled on November 8 this year. If she wins, she will be running against Republican leader John Neel Kennedy in the Louisiana Senate election, which is scheduled on December 10, 2022. 

Syrita was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to chair the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Oversight Council. She has previously served as the Vice-chair for the Louisiana Task Force on Women’s Incarceration, District Attorney Jason Williams’ Transition committee and Protect Vulnerable Communities Committee.

Who is Syrita Steib?    

Syrita Steib was born at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital and moved from Reserve to Back Vacherie when she was four years old. Syrita is the eldest child of a retired Worker’s Compensation Judge and a retired Marathon Petroleum Corporation Radar Coordinator.

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Syrita attended St. James High School and was in the top ten of her class. She was awarded a 100% need-based scholarship to Xavier University, where she pursued Physics and Engineering. Syrita was also active in sports, participating in numerous tournaments.

Syrita dropped out of Xavier University after a year and enlisted in the United States Navy, where she was training to be an Electronics Technician (ET). Sadly, the Armed Forces did not have the pay scale that they do today. According to Syrita, “I was unable to make ends meet, and as a result of my decisions, I was incarcerated.” 

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Syrita graduated Cum Laude in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist who is both nationally certified and licensed.

Syrita founded Operation Restoration in 2016. OR’s mission is to remove the barriers that women and girls face when they return home after being incarcerated. According to her official website, Syrita aspires to create a community support system based on education for women who are adversely impacted by incarceration. Syrita began to realise this vision in 2017 when she assisted in the writing and successful passage of Louisiana Act 276. This act forbids public post-secondary establishments in Louisiana from asking questions about criminal history during admissions, making Louisiana the first state to do so.