iPrep Getting to Know You: 116th House of Representatives

By Sam Isenberg and Luke McLaughlin, Seniors

Why should iPrep students care about the newly elected 116th House of Representatives?

The 116th House of Representatives is historically the most diverse House of Representatives. This House of Representatives contains 106 women and 115 minorities, beating the 2015 record of 92 women and 105 minorities.

This new House of Representatives mirrors the diverse environment found within iPrep. This showing of diversity will help minority students generation feel more represented by their elected officials. These minorities include the first Muslim woman, Somali-American, openly gay member, and a record number of women.  Read about some of the “firsts”:

First Muslim Women

Rashida Tlaib (D) and Ilhan Omar (D) are the first Muslim women to serve in The House of Representatives.

• Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve on The House of Representatives, was sworn in on a Quran owned by Thomas Jefferson. She represents Michigan's 13th congressional district, and she ran unopposed.

• Omar is the first Somali-American in House history.  She is also the first woman of color to represent Minnesota, representing its 5th congressional district.

First Native American Women

Sharice Davids (D) and Deb Haaland (D) are the first Native American women to serve in the The House of Representatives.

• Davids, who represents Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, is a former MMA fighter.
• Haaland, who represents New Mexico’s 1st Congressional district, has hobbies which include marathon running and gourmet cooking.

First Ecuadorian-American and South American Immigrant ​

​Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) is the first Ecuadorian-American and first South American immigrant to serve in the The House of Representatives.  She represents Florida’s 26th Congressional district and volunteered in campaigns for Barack Obama and John Kerry.

​First for Texas: Latina Representatives

Sylvia Garcia (D) and Veronica Escobar (D) will be Texas’s first Latina representatives.

• In 2002 Sylvia became the first woman to serve on the Harris County Commissioner's court. She represents Texas’ 29th congressional district.
• Veronica was a former judge for the El Paso County Court. She represents Texas’ 16th congressional district.

​First Openly Gay Member

New Hampshire will send its first openly gay member of The House of Representatives, Chris Pappas (D), representing New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district. His favorite show is Seinfeld.

First Woman Under 30 Years Old

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) is the youngest woman to serve in The House of Representatives at 29 years-old.  

• She is a gamer, representing New York’s 14th congressional district. She also helped organize Bernie Sander’s 2016 presidential bid.