The Newly Appointed Mayor In California Has Malaysian-Vietnamese Roots

The new Mayor of Eastvale in California, Jocelyn Yow, has made history by becoming the youngest woman of colour to serve as a mayor in California.

The 25-year-old mother to a six-month-old baby boy, was born to a Malaysian father and a Vietnamese mom – who migrated to the United States around the 1990s.

Yow was elected to the Eastvale city council in 2018, before serving as Mayor pro-term last year. She was officially appointed as the new Mayor of Eastvale following the city council’s meeting last Thursday (10th December).

It was reported that Yow’s father moved to the States in 1980s to further his studies, before marrying his wife, who was a Vietnamese refugee. Nevertheless, Yow’s family had to move back to Malaysia in 1996 due to some family issues.

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Earlier this year, she took to Instagram for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, where she stated in the post, “In 1996, we had to move to Malaysia when my paternal grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, and I ended up spending 10+ years there, allowing me to learn more about our family history, heritage, and culture.”

“I am honored to be my parents’ daughter, and I am proud to be a Malaysian Vietnamese Chinese American,” she said. According to MalaysiaKini, Yow lived in Kedah for over 10 years, where she had attend SMJK Keat Hwa in Alor Setar.

It is reported that Yow, a UC Berkeley graduate, is currently pursuing a masters degree in government at Harvard Extension. Moreover, she has worked as a district representative for the California State Senate and was also an aide for the United States House of Representatives.

As per Malay Mail, Yow stated that she wants to empower other young women with her example. She said, “While I will be the youngest woman of colour and one of the very few young mothers to serve as Mayor in the state of California, I am hopeful that more young women and mothers will follow suit.”