First ever female Vice President Kamala Harris was inaugurated into national office alongside the 46th president Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

Throughout her life, Harris has committed herself to a lifetime of public service, according to The White House. Prior to her election as Vice President, Harris worked as a California Attorney General, a San Francisco District Attorney and a California senator from 2017 to 2021.

Students feel influenced by the inauguration of Harris

Many students said they are looking forward to Harris making history as the first female vice president and first woman of color in a position of national office.

“It is extremely important [to have a female vice president] because representation matters,” Kennedy Hill ’22 said. “Think about all of the little girls of color who think, ‘that could be me.’ And it is such an inspiration to everyone throughout the country and a huge step forward.”

Students claim Harris’s election inspires hope in women

Junior Prefect Jade Stanford ’22 said Harris’s election feels more significant to her as a woman of color.

“As a person of color and a woman, it is especially meaningful to see someone who looks like me in such a visible position of power, and I’m looking forward to not only the generation of young girls she’ll inspire, but also the positive change she’ll enact alongside Biden,” Stanford said.

South Asian Student Alliance President Mohona Ganguly ’21 said that Harris’s story is monumental and representative of the American Dream.

“Having a person of color, and a woman, as the Vice President is immeasurably important,” Ganguly said. “After such a long period of division, Vice President Harris’s story as a daughter of two immigrants truly represents the best of the country and is emblematic of the ideal of the American Dream. I also think that it is incredibly significant for representation, particularly for young women of color.”