Congresswoman Debra Anne Haaland, the first Native U.S. Congresswoman, grew up in a military family; her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives during Vietnam, and her mother is a Navy veteran who was a federal employee for 25 years in Indian education.

As a single mother, she volunteered at her daughter’s pre-school in order to afford an early childhood education. She struggled to put herself through college, earning degrees from the University of New Mexico and UNM Law School.