Meet Grace Meng: The first Asian American member of Congress to represent New York

QUEENS (WABC) -- Born and raised in Queens, Grace Meng is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress to represent New York State.

"When I first got elected to the New York Legislature, I was pregnant. I was the only Asian American serving, so there was a lot of uncharted territories," said Meng.

She often faced jokes based on stereotypes and being a female, but instead of letting it diminish who she was Congresswoman Meng used it to empower her and the community she was fighting for.

"I realized that as a mom, as a woman there's so much knowledge and experience that we have. We bring something new and different to the table and we represent a lot of voices that haven't been heard," said Meng.

Now, in her sixth term of serving, this Queens native never forgets where she came from. Her priority is giving back to the community that always believed in her.

"As a daughter from an immigrant community, it was important that my community and other shared communities had more voices at the table," said Meng.

So with the encouragement and support from family, she decided to run and represent.

"Younger generations, especially young women need to understand that people in leadership positions can look like them. So it's really important to me to try and be a role model for them," said Meng.

To this day, no matter how successful she becomes, no matter what opportunities come her way, one thing will never change.

"Queens is my home. Queens is what grounds me. It's a good reminder of what I'm fighting for and who I'm fighting for," said Meng.