Oglethorpe alumna and first-time candidate Ruwa Romman ’15 won her election last week for Georgia State Representative for Georgia House District 97.

The historic election makes her the first Muslim woman ever elected to the Georgia State House and first Palestinian-American elected to Georgia public office.

Romman will represent a new metro Atlanta district in Gwinnett County that includes Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Norcross, and Peachtree Corners.  The district is northeast of the Oglethorpe campus.

Romman ran on a progressive platform to fully fund public education, expand healthcare access and protect abortion rights, bridge the economic opportunity gap, and protect the fundamental right to vote. In her campaign, she also stressed her commitment to putting public service back into politics and making government work for everyone.

“I cannot fully express my thanks to everyone who supported our campaign,” said Romman in a statement on election night. “When we started this journey 10 months ago we made it a priority to be there for our entire community. We’ve knocked thousands of doors and engaged with countless stakeholders, and tonight’s result is the product of that hard work. I cannot wait to continue this work and look forward to serving everyone in my district.”

An active and engaged Oglethorpe student, Romman was the president of  Student Government Association, an Honors scholar, and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society. She received the James Edward Oglethorpe Award at the 2015 Commencement. Romman went on to earn her master’s in public policy from Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy and currently works as a senior consultant at Deloitte.