It was a historic vote in St. Louis Park on Tuesday, with the city electing the state’s first Somali-American mayor, who will also be the city’s first Black mayor.

Nadia Mohamed grew up in St. Louis Park and says she’s filled with pride and honor to be voted in to lead the city.

“I think representation matters because it shows them that there is somebody who has similar lived experience,” the 27-year-old Mohamed said.

It’s not the first time she’s made history. Mohamed became the city’s first Muslim, Somali-American and youngest person to be elected to the city council at just 23 years old.

“Age is nothing but a number,” Mohamed said. “It’s the lived experience that you’re coming in with and it’s the compassion that you have for your community and for your neighbors.”

Mohamed and her family moved from Somalia to the United States when she was 10 years old. Navigating how to thrive in a foreign country was tough.

“I was translating for my mom and my parents, like from a such a young age,” Mohamed explained. “I would navigate this world for her. I would be reading medical documents and important documents and try to figure out, ‘What does this mean?'”

Community resources and services helped alleviate some of the burden. Now, Mohamed wants to pay it forward when she takes the seat as mayor. Some of the issues Mohamed says she’ll prioritize include small businesses, public safety and affordable homeownership.

“I’ve been hearing from voters that homeownership is something that they’re wanting. Even the people who do own their homes, they’re like, ‘I can’t afford to live here right now,'” she said.

Mohamed says being mayor-elect in St. Louis Park is only a milestone and not a destination. She credits loved ones for making it all possible.

“My mother, I got to share her story a little bit last night. I get from her, her ability to get up every day and to say even though I don’t know the language, I don’t know the people and I don’t know anything here, I am going to make a life and I’m going to do this,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed received more than 58% of first-choice votes against retired banker Dale Anderson during Tuesday’s election. She will succeed Jake Spano, who announced in March that he would not seek reelection.