Her mother had a third-grade education in Thailand, her father went directly into the U.S. military. And so it was with pardonable pride that Anne Burke, oldest of nine children, broke through a steel barrier and became the first in her family to go to college, and leave with multiple graduate degrees.

Quietly, impressively, she has scaled slippery career mountains.

As a modern young mother of two young children, the exotic candidate for the School Board in the Nov. 3 election has joined the army of ultra-modern professionals. A techie, most recently Ms. Burke was a business analyst and project manager, arcane-sounding job descriptions that whiz past the visions of most in her audiences.

Given her background, where did Ms. Burke find the motivation to go onto college instead of sliding into a vast, faceless work force?

“A lot had to do with a few key adult mentors,” says the single mom who has teamed with attorney friend Scott McVarish to run as a philosophically cozy team for the two open Board seats. “And that is why I feel the School Board can provide…

I know we are on a higher level, sitting in those leather chairs. But we shouldn’t be above. It should be about recruiting, others to continue that mentorship for other students.

“So many students are trying to figure out, the way I did, ‘How do I do this? How do I apply to a college? Where should I go? What makes sense? Am I good enough to go? How do I know if it is right for me?’ Those are the kinds of questions I had.”

At an early age, as the frontrunner for her eight siblings, Ms. Burke developed a strong sense of self-worth. “I did have to work my way through doubts, and mentors helped me with that.”

(To be continued)