Susheela Jayapal sworn in as first Indian American elected to county office in Oregon

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Indian American Susheela Jayapal was sworn in as a Multnomah County commissioner on Thursday, January 3.

Jayapal is the first Indian American to hold an elected county office in Oregon, she is a longtime leader of nonprofit and community groups, according to an Oregon Live report.

Jayapal had never planned to run for office when she won a four-way race for the open seat back in May.

As Multnomah County commissioner, Jayapal plans to focus on combating gentrification and homelessness by providing rental assistance, mental health, addiction treatment and restoring justice programs in every school, according to her website.

Jayapal is also the older sister of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and came to the U.S. from India at the age of 16 to attend college.

She won the seat that was previously occupied by Loretta Smith, who was required to step down after two terms, according to a Fox 12 report.