Meet Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, the first openly LGBTQ+ candidate elected to a state-level seat in New Hampshire. Her state-level win came after two terms on the Portsmouth City Council, where she was a fierce advocate for workforce and affordable housing issues.
Rebecca has a fascinating background. She grew up in Exeter New Hampshire, where her family owned the local Dairy Queen. Rebecca grew up working there, and continued working there up to 30 hours a week even when she was enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy, the elite private school in town. She went on to serve in the Peace Corps in Senegal, where she spent two years supporting small businesses, before getting a law degree.
In this interview, Rebecca talks about her unique upbringing, what she learned about leadership from her time in the Peace Corps, and what it was like to be the first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to the New Hampshire State Senate.
