Hyderabad – Telangana’s Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, waved hello across the Atlantic when Ghazala Hashmi was elected Virginia’s first lieutenant governor. Reddy praised the 61‑year‑old Democrat, who was born in Hyderabad, and said he was proud to see a fellow Indian‑origin woman take a top US state office.
Hashmi’s journey began in 1964 in the Indian city of Hyderabad. She moved with her family to the United States when she was four, joining her father who was studying for a PhD in international relations at a university in Georgia. Growing up in the U.S., she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia Southern University and later a PhD in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.
She spent three decades as a professor, first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. At Reynolds she founded and led the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. In 2019, she won a seat in the Virginia State Senate, becoming the first Muslim‑American woman and the first Indian‑American to serve there.
Six years later, Hashmi captured the lieutenant governor’s office by defeating Republican John Reid. The win made her the first Indian‑origin Muslim woman and the first South Asian American to hold the position in any U.S. state.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former Telangana minister K. T. Rama Rao also took to social media to congratulate her. “From Malakpet to Virginia – congratulations to Ghazala Hashmi, the first Indian‑American lieutenant governor of Virginia. Nothing beats the beauty of democracy celebrating diversity,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Chief Minister Reddy sent his best wishes for Hashmi’s continued success in public service, noting her doctoral expertise in international affairs and her trail‑blazing career. The Telangana leader highlighted that her historic election is a powerful example of how the United States, the country where she has made her home, rewards talent and determination.
Hashmi’s story—from her childhood in Malawi’s Malakpet neighborhood to the state Capitol in Virginia—illustrates the global ties that shape modern leadership and how diverse backgrounds can win the American electorate.
Source: ianslive
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