Who is Katrina Fallick-Wang?

I'm the oldest of 5 sisters and was born to parents who strongly believed in engaging children in everything they did. We went to fancy restaurants and the symphony, helped in the garden, learned to cook, and worked alongside my dad in his wood shop.

When I was in 1st grade, my parents took me along as they worked on the Campaign for Mayor Dorothy Johnson, the first Female Mayor of Appleton, Wisconsin. I was in awe of pretty much everything about her and knew that's what I wanted to be someday. I actually asked her to speak at my baptism when I turned 8.

Shortly after that, my parents moved us to a commune in Washington State to live off-grid, with no running water or power, and I was unschooled. There were many parts of my childhood there that I loved. I learned how to be self-sufficient, and I learned how to work with people from many different walks of life. I also learned a love for nature that has never left me. I also learned what it was like to go to bed hungry. To never have new or even clean clothes. I tell people now that I grew up in the kind of poverty many people don't know even exists in the United States.

A Bold Choice

I knew if I was going to escape the poverty I was living in, I needed to go to college. I studied hard, and at 15, I passed my GED. However, I still had no idea how to provide for myself, pay for college, or even travel to college an hour away from the tiny rural commune where I lived.

I made a bold and unconventional choice. I chose to get pregnant at 16 so that I could become emancipated. From there, I  took advantage of all the opportunities presented to me: Pell Grants, WIC, Food stamps, and child care.

By age 18, I had graduated college; I was working as a web developer and providing for my family, as well as working to mentor other Teen Moms.

Helping youth, especially girls, to escape generational poverty has become one of my biggest passions. When COVID hit, and we saw so many brilliant women and people of color leaving STEM fields, I knew I had to stand up and raise my voice for Women in leadership, children, and education, all the things that have provided me with the life I have now.

I'd like your support as I represent YOU in making Congress smarter, stronger, and more diverse.