Congratulations to recent 1st and 2nd generation immigrant elected leaders! We offer our congratulations to Winsome Sears (1st gen immigrant from Jamaica), Michelle Wu (2nd gen immigrant from Taiwan), and Francis Suarez (2nd gen immigrant from Cuba).

America is a country where people put down roots, start a family, feel safe, and succeed in business, regardless of their country of origin, color of their skin, political views, or religious beliefs.

Here’s more about this week’s newly elected politicians making headlines:

• Winsome Sears was elected as the next Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, becoming the first woman of color in the Commonwealth’s 400-year legislative history. A native of Jamaica, she moved to the U.S. when she was six. She had previously been elected to a majority Black legislative district, which no other Republican had done in Virginia since 1865. Next, she became the first (and still only) Black Republican woman elected to the House, the first female veteran (a U.S. Marine), and the first legal immigrant woman to hold office.Ms. Sears earned a B.A. from Old Dominion University and an M.A. from Regent University in Norfolk. She built a successful business, trained as an electrician in the Marines, and is most proud of her community work. She has a very bright future ahead of her.
• Michelle Wu just became national news as Boston’s mayor-elect. The daughter of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan, she was born in Chicago and her first language was Mandarin Chinese. Ms. Wu graduated from Harvard University, then Harvard Law School.She was the first Asian woman to serve on the Boston City Council, where she became the first woman of color to hold that position. With her victory, she became the first woman, and the first Asian American to be directly elected as the mayor of Boston. She is a protégée of Elizabeth Warren, who was one of her Law School professors.
• Francis X. Suarez was re-elected as mayor of Miami and is the city’s first Miami-born leader. His political career began when he was first elected as City of Miami Commissioner. He is the son of a Cuban immigrant, Xavier Suarez, who was a two-time Miami mayor.Mr. Suarez graduated in the top of his class from Florida International University with a B.A., then received his J.D. degree cum laude from University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. His rising profile in both the Hispanic community and the national spotlight make him a politician to watch for years to come.

These first- and second-generation Americans exemplify the types of people that Sunstone Trust Company values as potential clients. We welcome immigrants, as well as working with those already living in the United States.