Before becoming Vice President Harris’s going partner, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a 60-year-old Midwestern Democrat, was deeply rooted in learning as a high school teacher and sport coach. His work as an educator influenced his political career as well as his private career, leading to the birth of his family Gwen while teaching in remote Nebraska.
From shared schools to shared existence
Tim Walz’s excursion to Minnesota began with Gwen, who was born and raised in the position. The two met in Nebraska, where they both taught at Alliance High School—Gwen in English and Tim in cultural reports, as reported by the Washington Post. In a 2019 meeting with Minnesota Public Radio, Gwen recalled that we even shared a school with a middle-divider. ” After in, we taught along in Minnesota to”.
Gwen overheard Tim’s exciting training, which is how the Minneapolis Star Tribune first noticed his interesting teaching style. Their first time? A screen of the 1993 black allen Falling Down starring Michael Douglas, followed by a dinner at Hardee’s.
The pair, who were engaged in a wedding in June 1994, decided to organize a student education trip to China on their honeymoon. Two centuries after their marriage, Gwen, a student of Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University in Mankato, persuaded Tim to relocate to Minnesota. Both Tim and Tim both continued their sports coaching jobs at Mankato West High School. After Tim became chancellor, she transitioned to an administrative place with Mankato Area Public Schools.
Advocate for education and prison reform
With a different training background that includes people, choice, and migratory schools, Gwen Walz has been a passionate recommend for learning throughout her career. Her advocacy for prison reform frequently intersects with her commitment to education.
Gwen has fought for efforts to restore voting rights to felons who have already served their sentences and expand incarcerated people’s educational opportunities. The Bard Prison Initiative, which provides college education to New York inmates, is one of the initiatives she supports. According to her statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Gwen’s interest in prison reform stems from her belief that education is a” transformational piece” for individuals.
According to her biography from the Minnesota Governor’s Office,” She has worked across the country to provide educational opportunities to incarcerated women and men, whom she calls” students.” ” Gwen believes that we can significantly lower recidivism rates and truly transform lives by integrating education into our corrections system,” she said.
Influential partner in policy
When Tim Walz took office as governor in 2019, Minnesota had not had a first lady in eight years, as his predecessor, Mark Dayton, was unmarried. By becoming the first first woman to hold office in the Capitol in Minnesota, Gwen embraced the role and redefined it.
” We’ve always worked closely together”, Gwen said in a 2019 interview with Minnesota Public Radio. Tim suggested we set up a desk in his office, but I made the decision to do so down the hall.
Gwen has been a vocal supporter of gun control measures supported by her husband’s administration and played a significant role in the hiring process for the new commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections. She urged the Republican-controlled state Senate to pass legislation that would expand background checks and put up a red-flag law alongside others at the Minnesota Capitol in 2019. According to the Star Tribune, she did n’t shy away from political consequences for those who opposed the measures.
” If they do n’t put it to a vote, there are seven senators in districts where Tim Walz won—and we’re coming for them”, she warned.
A family of four ( plus two pets )
The Walz family includes their two children, Hope, 23, and Gus, 17. Earlier this year, Tim Walz shared that he and Gwen underwent IVF treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. After a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court threatened to halt IVF access, which brought the issue into the national spotlight, he publicly discussed the procedure to show his support for the procedure.
In September 2019, the family introduced their newest member: Scout, a 3-month-old black Lab mix they rescued. The governor’s office announced Scout’s arrival with a playful nod to Tim’s campaign promise to Gus. On election night in 2018, then-12-year-old Gus excitedly proclaimed,” I get a dog”! upon hearing of his father’s victory.
Last Christmas, the family expanded again, adopting Honey, an orange and white rescue cat, after their previous cat, Afton, wandered away.
