My name is Norvilia Etienne, and I am Students for Life of America’s Fellowship and Impact Coordinator. This election season, I knew that I would vote pro-life first—that abortion was the single most important problem to me when choosing a candidate. That’s because abortion is the human rights issue of our day. Not only is abortion violence the legally sanctioned murder of our children, in many cases, it is also paid for by our tax dollars. I don’t want to support the abortion industry’s bank account — and neither do most Americans my age, according to research by SFLA. And I really want to protect our mothers and children by ending abortion once and for all.

That’s why I was proud to vote for the newly elected lieutenant governor of Virginia, Winsome Sears.

Sears is originally from Jamaica, and she is a United States Marine Corps veteran. Before entering politics, she was the director of a Salvation Army homeless shelter and served as the Vice president for the Virginia Board of Education. She is also currently the owner of an appliance and plumbing repair store in Virginia. She calls herself  “the American dream,” and I can see why.

I admire Sears for being a good role model, I relate to her as a fellow immigrant myself, and I appreciate her working for safer schools and communities. But, what I appreciate the most about Sears is her understanding that communities need to be safe for the preborn, too—and that means a crackdown on abortion violence. Sears is willing to take on the abortion industry and has said that she supports abortion heartbeat restrictions for (protecting) preborn children with heartbeats from abortion in Virginia like the one we’re seeing in Texas right now.

Sears has been recognized as making history with her victory as she is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first black woman to hold a statewide office in the state, and I have high hopes that she’ll make pro-life history in her position as well.

I am so grateful for the work that Students for Life Action and the Pro-Life Generation put in to help Sears win. Our students and team were diligent doorknockers, working to canvass the community and get out the vote. The important conversations they engaged in made such an impact on the Virginia elections.

Congratulations, Lieutenant Governor Sears; the Pro-Life Generation and I are so happy to have you in leadership and to work together toward the same mission. Together, we will rock the abortion industry’s world in Virginia!

Watch me discuss how Sears inspires me on NBC.