At Just 25-Years-Old, Jocelyn Yow From Kedah Became The Youngest Mayor In A U.S City

By Ammar Haziq  •  15 Dec 2020 in News

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

When she was a student at SMJK Keat Hwa nine years ago, she wrote in her graduation book that she’s proud of the school and hopes that “one day, Keat Hwa will be proud of me”.

Meet Jocelyn Yow, a 25-year old from Alor Setar, Kedah, who made history by becoming the youngest woman of colour to serve as mayor of Eastvale, a city near Los Angeles in California.

Born to a Malaysian father and Vietnamese refugee mother, her family moved to the United States in 2011 after Jocelyn finished high school and settled down in Eastvale, a young city with around 73,000 people.

It’s certainly impressive, but this isn’t the first time Yow made history. Back in 2018, when she was 23-years old, she became Eastvale’s first woman councillor of Chinese descent and was among the youngest Asian councillors in Southern California, as reported by the Sun.

Yow, who became a mother six months ago said she’s one of the few young moms to serve as mayor in the state. “I am hopeful that more young women and mothers will follow suit,” she added.

At such a young and hopeful age, Yow has made history, proving to politicians on our soil that being young does not equate to being incompetent.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq has spoken about the issue, saying that many leadership responsibilities are handed to older people as they have more experience, but this should not be an excuse to leave the youths behind.

He also mentioned that outside of Malaysia, those who work hard and are sincere in carrying out their responsibilities to the community will receive more opportunities. Here, merit can be seen as second to cronyism.

“If foreign countries can do it, Malaysia must. All that is needed is political commitment and determination to build a nation together,” writes Syed Saddiq.