ELIZABETH ANN POLLING, 39 . CLOQUET

What do you do?

I’m an assistant public defender for the 6th Judicial District, serving St. Louis, Cook, Lake and Carlton counties.

Education

Juris doctor degree.

Community involvement

Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota board and executive committee member, city of Cloquet Planning Commission board member, First Witness Child Advocacy Center board member.

Tell us about your loved ones

What is your biggest accomplishment?

Helpingmorepeopleinmycommunity than I ever thought I could reach.

WhatkeepsyouintheTwinPorts?

Myjobandpassionforhelpingothers. I continue to see the rising need in Duluth and the limited resources there are to offer. I continue to work collaboratively with others to reach moreindividuals,connectandsupport them;wherevertheyareatintheirlife.

Describe your happy place

My happy place is outside, in the sun, enjoying the moment.

What’s your five-year plan?

In five years I plan to be more off the ground with my private practice and hope to open a mental health facility. I want to keep working toward locating resources and grants to assist the underserved population’s mental health needs in the Duluth area.

What words of wisdom do you have for young adults?

Follow your dreams and advocate for yourself

My mom and step-mom, Sunny and Randi; my brothers, Alan and Neil; sister-in-law, Jessica; niece, Kambrey, and lots of extended family.

What do you do in your free time?

I train my three pet parrots and work on my gardens (currently working on teaching Gandalf, my African grey parrot, to say “fly, you fools,” and my Amazon parrot, Izzy, to say “help! they’ve turned me into a parrot.”)

Tell us about an influential person in your life

My grandmother, Ruth Dishington, started teaching in rural Minnesota in 1939 and continued teaching until her retirement in the mid-80s. She was a public school teacher in western Duluth for many years, and started and designed the first special education program for mentally disabled youth.

What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?

After I graduated from college, I joined Teach for America and spent the next three years teaching in an underresourced rural community in North Carolina. I learned a lot about life and myself from that experience

What is your biggest accomplishment?

Becoming an assistant public defender, and every day standing up for the rightsofcitizenstobetreatedfairlyand honestly by the criminal justice system.

What keeps you in the Twin Ports?

My family has deep roots in the area, and I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else.

Describe your happy place

On the patio at the Rendezvous in Cloquet on a beautiful summer evening.

What’s your five-year plan?

Continuing my work as an assistant public defender — it is inspirational work that I truly enjoy.

What words of wisdom do you have for young adults?

Prioritize and spend time and experience deciding who you want to be and what you want your life to be, or circumstancewillmakethosedecisions for you. Revisit periodically.