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Detroit native Myya D. Jones isn’t letting her age stop her from living out her dream of being mayor of her hometown. 

According to the Huffington Post, the 22-year-old, who has yet to graduate from the Michigan State University, announced her candidacy for mayor earlier this monthJones’ background includes being a Google Student Ambassador, an intern on Capitol Hill and studying abroad in six different countries. The college senior says those past experiences encouraged her to pursue a career in politics. 

“I have always been interested in civil engagement,” Jones recently told the Detroit Metro Times. “But I was turned off from doing politics because we had such a negative stigma around politics in Detroit.”

But she hopes to be part of changing that around.

“While I was interning in Congress, I knew this was something I wanted to do. I want to give the voiceless a voice,” she added.

Jones has had to overcome an incredible amount of hardship for someone so young.

She is a survivor of sexual abuse and her mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which forced Jones to grow up quickly and care for her five siblings. Jones herself was later diagnosed with bipolar disease. But none of that has stopped her from wanting to provide a vibrant future for those who live in Detroit.

“I want people to be able to walk down the street and go to the park. I want to clean up our streets and make sure we have block clubs and neighborhood clubs. I want to make sure people feel a responsibility to their neighborhood. Right now those things aren’t happening,” she stressed to the newspaper.

“We can’t forget about the people who have to live in Detroit. We need to create more opportunities for people to have jobs, for them to be financially literate,” Jones added.

Jones says that whether or not she wins the election, she hopes her experiences running will help other young people get engaged in the political process.

Good luck Myya!

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#BlackGirlMagic: This 22-Year-Old Is Running For Mayor Of Detroit  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com