When Kamala Harris assumes the role of vice president come Wednesday, she won’t only break one record — she’ll break three. Harris will be the first woman, first Black American, and first person of South Asian descent to serve in the nation’s second-highest office. 

Her story starts in 1964 in Oakland, California. Her father, from Jamaica, and mother, from India, bonded while marching for civil rights in college.

When her parents separated, Harris and her younger sister were primarily raised by their mother, who taught the girls about the importance of compassion and public service. 

Harris carried these lessons with her to college, graduating from Howard University — a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. —  before moving back to California to attend Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. 

Harris began her law career in her hometown, serving as deputy district attorney for Alameda County. Soon after, Harris was recruited to join Terence Hallinan at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. During her tenure as an assistant district attorney, Harris primarily prosecuted cases involving violent crimes.

After a decade in local politics, Harris fought a bitter battle against her former boss, Terence Hallinan, to win the race for San Francisco District Attorney in 2002. She ran unopposed when running for her second term in 2007, and was the first person of color to hold the position of district attorney in San Francisco.

It wasn’t long before Harris set her sights on a bigger stage, becoming California’s first female, first Black, and first Asian-American Attorney General in 2011. 

Harris took several progressive positions as attorney general, and refused to defend Proposition Eight, the state’s gay marriage ban. She was also hailed for launching a program that helped young drug offenders avoid jail time by staying in school and holding a job.

But Harris’ record isn’t without controversy. As California's Attorney General, she was criticized for championing a state law that, in certain cases, sent parents to jail when their children missed too much school. She also took heat for being too soft on police violence, with critics saying her approach to reform was too cautious. 

The criticism didn’t stop Harris from seeking national office, as she ultimately ran for and won the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016. 

As senator, Harris emerged as a more forceful voice against police misconduct. Her experience as a prosecutor was quickly evident as she grilled Trump administration officials and nominees at Senate hearings. 

As Harris’ national profile grew, so did her ambition: After serving less than one full term in the Senate, Harris announced her intention to run for president in January 2019. 

After initial success, her campaign lost steam and she would drop out of the race. But for many, her pointed debate style left a lasting impression. Harris infamously singled out then-candidate Joe Biden’s opposition to school desegregation bussing.

Despite this testy exchange, Biden went on to choose Harris to stand by his side as his running mate.

Just three years after entering national politics, Kamala Harris will once again make history — as will her husband, lawyer Doug Emhoff, America’s first “second gentleman.”