Michelle Wu, who was sworn in as the Mayor of Boston on Tuesday, became the first woman and person of colour to be elected for the office. The 36-year-old, who is a member of the Democratic party, has been associated with Boston’s City Council for nearly a decade.

She was first inducted into the City Council at the age of 28, in November 2013 and made her way through the ranks. Wu, who was the Asian-American to become a part of the council, was picked as the President of Boston’s governing body in 2016 through a unanimous vote.

Wu is often celebrated for work on boosting community engagement, accessibility and transparency as part of the City Council, according to the politician’s official website. 

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The 36-year-old’s most significant work includes a contribution towards two key ordinances — Healthcare Equity ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and Boston’s Paid Parental Leave ordinance and Healthcare Equity ordinance– both of which were cleared by the City Council and sent to the desk of Martin Walsh, the former mayor and currently the United States Secretary of Labor.

According to the Mayor’s website, she also authored Boston’s Communications Access ordinance, which guarantees translation, interpretation and assistive technology for access to City services regardless of English language proficiency or communications disability.

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An alumna of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, Wu was included in the Ten Outstanding Young Leaders list, which was created by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

“City government is special. We are the level closest to the people, so we must do the big and the small. Every streetlight, every pothole, every park and classroom, lays the foundation for greater change,” Wu said on Tuesday after taking the oath of office.