“I consider running for office a great opportunity to connect with a diverse group of people and really understanding their issues,” says Michelle Wu, an Asian American candidate for  Boston City Council At-Large. A child of Taiwanese immigrants, Michelle Wu spent her childhood in Chicago and came to Boston to attend Harvard University.  Like most Asian parents, hers also wanted Michelle to be a doctor.  Her personal interests and unusual life circumstances lead her on a very different path.

“Family has been the driving force in my life. I’m the oldest of four kids born to immigrant parents from Taiwan. Growing up, I watched my parents navigate language and cultural barriers while pursuing the American Dream. I worked hard, studied hard, and got into college at Harvard, where I fell in love with Boston. After graduation, I got a great job in the Financial District,” says Michelle.

However soon after, her mother began to suffer from serious mental illness. She left her job in Boston and went to Chicago to take care of her mother and her younger sisters. She assumed the legal guardianship of her younger sister. By assuming guardianship of her sisters who attended public schools, she learned a lot about the opportunities and challenges in Urban Public Schools.

During her time in Chicago, she started a small family business, a teashop featuring weekly poetry readings and open mic nights.  Opening a small business brought her in close contact with city government and she was made fully aware of the pain points for small business owners. She realized how difficult it was to navigate the permit system.  Her experience came in handy as she worked for Mayor Thomas M. Menino in the Mayor’s Office at the City of Boston as a Rappaport Fellow in Law and Public Policy. At City Hall, she created the Restaurant Roadmap guide, which outlines the city’s restaurant permitting process from start to finish. Wu was also majorly involved in the city's Food Truck Challenge, which launched three new food trucks on City Hall Plaza.

She returned to Boston  to join Harvard Law school.  â€œSenator Elizabeth Warren was my professor at Harvard. While working on her campaign, she inspired me to take an interest in public service.  It was here that I  realized my passion for connecting with people and representing their needs and issues.”

With encouragement from her close friends and family, Michelle decided to throw her hat in the ring for Boston City Council At-Large position. “It is my love for and belief in Boston that motivates me to run. I believe Boston can lead as a national model of an inclusive innovative economy that connects all of our neighborhoods and communities. We can serve as an example of public education system that creates meaningful pathways for all our students, and I believe that all of this depends on a foundation of strong, vibrant, local engagement in each of our neighborhoods.” 

What support would she like from the South Asian community? “I would love to meet and speak with more of the community, because we share the same core values. As an Asian American woman, I identify with the issues and struggles that immigrants and the community undergo.  So, I want to learn even more about the issues that are important to the South Asian community.”

Any special message for Lokvani readers? “It is extremely important for all communities to have their voices heard. I urge everyone to participate and actively engage with the government.  I encourage those that have an inclination for public service to run for office. It is essential to bring diversity to all aspects of government.”  

To learn more about Wu, please check out her website at: www.michelleforboston.com

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