Kamala Harris' Early Life Hints She Was Always Destined For Politics

The stunning transformation of Kamala Harris into the vice president under President Joe Biden gained global political acclaim; however, this role was merely one aspect of her long-standing relationship with politics. A quick reflection on Harris' past reveals that she has long been at the epicenter of change, even as a young child when her parents, civil rights activists, brought her along to protests. 

"My parents would take me to marches in a stroller," Harris shared during a 2024 speech (via Instagram). This foundation built a young woman who sought to create positive change where she could. Wanda Kagan, Harris' childhood friend, recalled to Oprah Daily in October 2024, "Even all those years ago, I remember Kamala taking a stand for people around her." The Senator was drawn to create progress in every aspect of her community, including in school. Her first run for office, a seat as freshman class representative at Howard University, set Harris on track for becoming an effective voice on campus as well as foreshadowing the woman she'd become. But this wasn't enough; Harris wanted to be at the heart of where change happened: the government.    

So, she took up internships. Working for a U.S. senator, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Archives, and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Harris solidified her introduction to the world of American democracy. Her involvement in politics didn't end with internships and school, as Harris used her weekends to protest. Kamala Harris completed her dual major of Political Science and Economics from Howard in 1986, but her education didn't end there. 

In 1986, Harris enrolled in the UC College of the Law, San Francisco. While completing her degree and continuing her internships, this time with the Alameda County district attorney's office, Harris stepped into another leadership role: President of the Black Law Students Association. Upon passing the Bar Exam, Harris became a prosecutor at Alameda County, specializing in sex crimes. The lawyer's life-long friend Stacey John-Batiste explained Harris' decision to become a prosecutor to PBS in July 2024, stating, "She cares about people ... And she believes in civil justice. So I think from her point of view ... she chose that route in order to directly impact change from the inside out."    

After a decade, Harris became the managing attorney of the Career Criminal Unit in San Francisco. As her career continued, Harris shaped not only court cases, but policies themselves with her Back on Track program in 2005. Then in 2011, Harris was elected as the Attorney General of California. She held this office until 2017 when she became a senator for California. Three years later, in August 2020, Joe Biden, a former VP himself, would offer Harris the opportunity to run as his vice president, and the rest is, quite literally, history.