I was living as a young single mom. I was 19 when I was divorced, and my daughter was a year old, and I waited tables here three to four nights a week for several years while I was trying to support myself and my daughter and the day I got that acceptance at Harvard Law School was an unforgettable day.

I can say with absolute certainty that I will run for one of two offices: my state Senate seat or for the governor. I'm still trying to decide, but I do think people are ready for a change from the partisan, very fractured leadership we have in Texas.

Texas deserves a leader who understands that making education a priority creates good jobs for Texans and keeps Texas on top.

I care about life and I have a record of fighting for people above all else.

While Texas women have the right to safe, legal abortion, in reality there are already very few facilities in Texas to provide this essential care. In 2008, 92 percent of Texas counties had no abortion provider.

You won't change things unless you are prepared to fight, even if you don't win. But I do hate losing.

I think that the thing that holds so many of us back is our fear that we might fail, and I think we lose an incredible amount of talent and energy and enthusiasm that way. So I think, since I'm kind of a shining example of losing, that it's important for me to show that it's OK to lose, that I'm still so happy that I entered the fight, that I fought for something that mattered to me and that I gave voice to it and I made it part of the conversation. I want young women to know that it is OK to fail - it's not OK to stay home. It's not OK to not try.