I had the pleasure of interviewing my aunt, Helen Tai.

 

Helen Tai was born and raised in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She went to the University of Michigan for statistics, and went to Penn State for her masters. Postgrad, Helen worked in the pharmaceutical industry, process improvement, and consulting before moving to public service and volunteer work. Helen first found a position on a local supervisor board. In 2018, she was elected as State Representative for the 178th District during a special election, and became the first woman and person of color to represent her predominately white district. In her time in office, Helen focused on the needs of her constituents and fellow community members, which became the foundation of all of her achievements. 

 

One of the first bills Helen introduced was the “No budget, no pay” act, ensuring the budget was passed efficiently to help small businesses as well as all residents. Helen also secured over a million dollars in grants just in the six months; the money was used to fund libraries, police vehicles, create a Parkinson's program, support an environmental agency, and to help pay for a STEM lab for an all girls school. She was able to help specific people who called the state house as well. In the second month, Helen had the highest number of citizen interactions of all the state legislators of the 203 state legislators in Pennsylvania. Even before her time as a rep, Helen worked hard to lobby for a domestic violence prevention bill.

 

Helen has embodied the idea of a “public servant,” and believes those aspiring to enter politics should as well. She believes in the importance of taking actions for the interests of her community, rather than conforming to what other politicians or legislators believe. 

​

Currently, Helen is on Governor Shapiro’s advisory commission for women, and also on the board of Ceasefire PA, dedicated to gun violence prevention. By remaining active within her own community, Helen says she is able to create change in a time where change seems impossible. Helen believes we must actively help our own communities rather than become overwhelmed by the issues we face.