Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to Congress after defeating a 10-term incumbent while working as a bartender. Five years later, she has become one of the House’s most influential voices, proof that you don’t need Wall Street money or political connections to fight for working families.

AOC helped push Democrats to embrace Medicare for All, and aggressive action on climate change, ideas once dismissed as radical that are now mainstream. She grilled corporate executives, exposed corruption, and used social media to connect with millions of Americans, especially young people who’d given up on politics.

The Bronx native hasn’t forgotten where she came from. She still lives in her grandmother’s neighborhood and fights for the communities that powerful people ignore: working families drowning in student debt, immigrants pursuing the American Dream, and everyone who’s been told the system isn’t meant for them.