All of Kamala Harris' history-making moves have led to this moment
Kamala Harris has made history not once but a number of times over her career. Now, she's making her biggest move yet, with the title of the first female US President on the line.
It's in her blood, after all. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, immigrated from India to the US, becoming a celebrated biologist with the aim of curing breast cancer.
Her father, Donald Harris, is a renowned Jamaican economist who is currently an emeritus professor at Stanford University and received Jamaica's Order of Merit for his contribution to the country's development.
READ MORE: Kamala Harris responds to 'childless cat lady' jibe
Kamala Harris has made history not once but a number of times over her career. AP Photo/John Bazemore
In Harris's own words from her memoir The Truths We Hold, her parents "met and fell in love at [the University of California] Berkeley while participating in the civil rights movement," having met in 1962 and getting married in 1963.
Though their marriage did not last, falling apart after seven years, it did give birth to Kamala and her younger sister Maya.
Just like her parents, Kamala was also involved in politics in university, often protesting the apartheid.
One of her first experiences working in university was interning as a mailroom clerk for California senator Alan Cranston, with both of these experiences likely forming the foundation for a life in politics.
Harris with her late mother Shyamala and sister Maya. Instagram
After graduating from university with a doctorate in law in 1989, she entered public life as deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California.
Within eight years she had become the elected district attorney of San Francisco, where she made history as the first person of colour to be elected into the position, taking charge of the Career Criminal Division.
In this position, she aimed to tackle homicide, hate crimes and truancy for at-risk youth.
She was popular for her numbers-based approach to solving crime, devoid of any ideology or bias, which continued to serve her when she made history again as the first woman, African American, and South Asian American to hold the title of attorney general of California in 2010.
After five years of advancing criminal justice reform, she made her bid to become a senator in 2015, with both former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Biden endorsing her campaign.
READ MORE: With one line in a speech, Kamala Harris sparked a bizarre meme
A young Harris. Twitter
She eventually made history once again, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian American senator in US political history.
"I was a US senator-elect – the first Black woman from my state, and the second in the nation's history, to earn that job," she wrote about the moment she won in her memoir.
But she soon found her usual methodical approach didn't resonate in the Senate.
She instead decided to gain attention by taking on the role of the Democratic Party's chief cross-examiner in the Senate, drilling into Trump administration officials in confrontational moments that garnered the support of democratic voters – enough to light the spark for her own presidential campaign in 2020.
READ MORE: Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff 'broke every rule' when they started dating
Harris, right, pictured with Gwen Whitfield at an anti-apartheid protest during her freshman year at Howard University in Washington. (Kamala Harris campaign via AP) AP
Despite a spunky moment on the campaign trail during the presidential primary debate where she took Biden to task for his previous record, her campaign quickly fizzled out and she found herself floundering.
But the encounter remained in Biden's memory, with the then-Vice President having told CNN after the debate, "I was prepared for them to come after me. … But I wasn't prepared for the person coming at me the way [Harris] came after me… she knows me."
Though it came a surprise to some, he went on to select Harris as his running mate, calling it "the best decision I've made."
Despite being called out by her, Biden remembered Harris when it came to choosing his running mate for the 2020 election. AP
Of course, the dream team won the election, though again it wasn't all smooth-sailing for Harris when Biden tasked her with solving the "root causes" of undocumented immigration to the US.
She eventually found her rhythm when the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion, a topic she was well-versed in.
She became the Democratic administration's spokesperson on the topic and created a brand new informed and knowledgeable image with the public over time.
READ MORE: Inside Kamala Harris' relationship with her 'remarkable' step-children
Beyoncé is just one high-profile celebrity who has endorsed Harris for president. AP Photo/Annie Mulligan
So much so, when Biden retracted his candidacy for the US presidency in August, he gave his endorsement to her without any hesitation.
And he's not the only one. Celebrities across the board came out of the woodwork to endorse Harris – including those who are notoriously private about their politics, such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift – all eager to see the first female US president.
With Harris' past being dotted with history-making moves, it could become a reality very soon.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
Most viewed in Lifestyle
Meghan gives first look at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s new UK life
The four-year experiment that created Australia’s best sausage roll
AFL star Josh Battle and wife Casey mourn the loss of their unborn child
World’s youngest king laid to rest as succession battle erupts amid claims of secret child
