TAMPA, Fla. — Swaran Gill said she first noticed Kamala Harris in 2016 when she lived in Los Angeles and Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. 

“I was just in awe that there was a person that was African-American and Southeast Asian American too,” she said. 

Gill's mother is black and her father is Indian. She said it was a mix of cultures that seemed natural to her until school. 

“I remember in 2nd grade, a girl asked me if I was mixed,” Gill said. “And all I could think about was well, you can mix cake. You can mix colors. But I didn’t understand her concept of mixed.” 

As she got older, she became more and more aware of that concept, to the point of almost living a dual life. 

“I think when I go to the Indian side of the family, then I have to be Indian, and then if I go to the African-American side of the family, I have to be an African-American. And so it’s kind of switching between cultural norms for each side,” Gill expressed. “When I saw Kamala Harris, especially as Vice President, I told my mom for the first time I actually can see myself on national TV as Vice President.” 

While Gill is not a child anymore, she said she can still be inspired by the idea that someone just like her can accomplish anything. 

“What I want people to understand is, number one that she’s actually made in God's image and her value and worth is defined to a higher being and that we’re all human beings.”