American lawyer and Democratic politician Mazie Hirono has been serving as the junior United States Senator from Hawaii since 2013. She has previously been a Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, the 9th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, and a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd district. She had a tough childhood, and her Japanese American mother had to migrate to the US from Japan, after Hirono’s father became an alcoholic and gambled away her mother’s savings. In Hawaii, Hirono had a tough time initially, as she did not know English. However, she worked her way up, and obtained a psychology degree and a JD, both from American universities. She later worked in antitrust litigation, before stepping into politics. She is the first Asian American woman to be part the US Senate and the first female senator from Hawaii. She is also the first Buddhist and the first Japanese-born US senator.