In 2010, I did the unthinkable. At the age of 33, never having held an elected position, I ran for U.S. Congress.
Up until then, even though it had been my dream from the time I was 13 years old to run for public office and effect real change, I had stayed safely tucked behind the scenes of politics. By day, I worked long, grueling hours in a big-name investment firm—a high-paying, glamorous job that I hated but stayed in because it was what I thought I was supposed to be doing. At night and in every spare moment on weekends, I worked as a fundraiser and organizer; these were all valuable contributions that had impact, but in my heart, I wanted to play big and do big things.
