Abdi ’18 sees the Legislature growing more representative of the people it serves.
Legislative leaders have the power to make a positive difference in their communities, and Mana Abdi, graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington Class of 2018, is doing just that as the first elected Somali-American lawmaker in Maine.
Abdi was elected in November 2022, to represent the city of Lewiston and District 95 in the Maine Legislature. The 26 year old community organizer was born in Kenya and arrived as a refugee in the United States as a child, initially landing in Kansas. She moved to Lewiston in 2009 at the age of 13 and has lived in the district ever since.
She graduated from Lewiston High School in 2014. From there she came to UMF where she received a degree in political science and international and global studies. Since graduation, Abdi has worked as an advocate at Disability Rights Maine.
According to the article in the Portland Press Herald, “Abdi says her election is a sign that the Legislature is growing more representative of the people it serves. ‘”I’m walking into new territory.’”