A 19-year-old woman was just sworn into the Walnut City Council, making her one of the youngest ever Asian Americans elected into office in the nation. While it may come as a surprise to some, those who know her say it’s anything but. 

Kaylee May Law says she’ll remember the moment for the rest of her life.

“This community raised me and it’s been great,” she said. “I really appreciate this opportunity to give back.”

At just 19, Law has already accomplished a lifetime worth of feats, but she’s far from finished. 

She graduated from Mt. San Antonio College at just 16, earning three associate’s degrees while there. She then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University and months ago completed her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. 

Her parents say they knew she was bound to tackle more in life when she was bored by schoolwork in middle school. They encouraged her to take a community college class to see what she thought. 

“Pick something fun, I’m thinking, like, ceramics,” Janel Law, Kaylee’s mother said. “She picked logic.”

She says that her parents instilled the value of education in her at a young age, and that wisdom is generational. 

“When my grandfather came to the United States, he had a sixth grade education,” Law said. “Continuing my grandparent’s legacy and all the sacrifices my grandparents and my parents made, that was really important to me.”

Law had some help running for the council seat, approaching her mentor and former Council member Eric Ching, who was vacating his own spot to run for Congress. 

“I looked at her background. When she puts her heart to it, she never quits,” Ching said. “That’s something I like.”

Though she’s excited to get started on serving her hometown, Law said her educational pursuits are far from over as she plans her journey into law school.