Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance, is going to be the very first Indian-origin 'Second Lady' of the United States.
The 38-year-old Indian-American lawyer hails from Andhra Pradesh roots. News of elevation has already started 'dancing' in Vadluru village in West Godavari district from where her family hails.
People in the village burst firecrackers and distributed sweets after the victory of the Republican ticket of Trump and Vance in the US Presidential elections.
Earlier, some villagers offered prayers for the victory of Trump and Vance, saying this would further strengthen the India-US relations.
Sambashivudu - Andhra Pradesh Information Technology and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh said this one's pretty special for people of Andhra Pradesh, especially for West Godavari district.
"The Second Lady designate, Usha Vance has roots in AP. We're proud as people of AP Origin continue to make their mark in various spheres across the world," Minister Lokesh, son of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said.
Vice President would be Vance, a 40-year-old Ohio Senator and running mate to President-elect Trump. He married the Yale-graduated lawyer in 2014. The couple has three children Ewan, 6, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel, 2.
Usha's parents, Radhakrishna Chilukuri and Lakshmi Chilukuri, emigrated to the US in 1980. One of the three children born to Radhakrishna and Lakshmi, Usha was born and brought up in San Diego (California).
A marine molecular biologist and biochemist, Professor Lakshmi Chilukuri is Provost of the Sixth College at the University of California, San Diego University. Radhakrishna Chilukuri, also known as Dr. Krish Chilukuri, is a lecturer, Academic Affairs, College of Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering at the San Diego State University.
Usha was book-loving since childhood. She happens to be a Yale University graduate in History, and also a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. At Yale Law School, she met Vance, whose friendship blossomed into love. They got married in 2014, with the couple getting blessed by a Hindu priest in a separate ceremony.
Usha was a corporate lawyer and litigator for some years. She has been a Law Clerk to two Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and argued civil cases belonging to the education, medical, and defense sectors. Associated with Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic, Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, and Iraqi Refugee Assistance Projects, she is working as a litigator in the National Legal Agency.
Interestingly, while at Cambridge, Usha had worked with left-wing and liberal groups and registered her name as a Democratic Party member in 2014. Four years later, she had registered with the Republican Party for voting from Ohio. Usha had assisted Vance in organizing a meeting on 'Social decline in White America' that he used to give shape to his 2016 bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy". She has actively participated in Vance's Senate campaigns 2016 and 2022. She played a vital role that saw her husband, Ohio senator, win the seat during the 2022 elections and was responsible for his campaign for Vice President.
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