| My name is Kaozouapa Lee - you can also call me Liz. I'm a proud Hmong daughter of St. Paul's Eastside. But my story begins even before I was born, in the refugee camps of Thailand where my parents met because their families were displaced by the civil war in Laos, which was part of the Vietnam War. After relocating to the United States, my parents reunited and got married in Minnesota.
We lived in public housing while my dad was going to school. But when they were ready to rent and then buy, my parents found it extremely difficult to find rentors and realtors willing to show them the houses they wanted to see. Luckily, they found the home that we live in today on the Eastside. Shortly thereafter, I got my first job doing a weekly paper route for the Eastside Review.
After Head Start and 13 years in the St. Paul Public Schools, I left home for Yale University. I have spent the last decade advocating for issues like health equity, bridging the academic achievement gap, increasing affordable housing, and re-investing in public transit. One of my proudest accomplishments was securing funding for computer science education courses for girls and students of color.
As the child of public servants who stressed the importance and value of public service, my parents taught me to work hard and dream big. I look forward to connecting with you and working to rebuild an Eastside that works for everyone! |