MADISON — Below are excerpts from Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s Inaugural address as prepared for delivery.

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Over the last year, I had the pleasure of traveling all over our great state to meet folks and families in their homes and businesses to hear about their lives and their challenges—and I had the chance to share a little bit about my own story, too.

I’m a born-and-raised Wisconsinite from Waukesha County. I’m the granddaughter of dairy farmers. I’m the proud daughter of a working-class family—my father was a Vietnam veteran who fixed telephones for Wisconsin Bell, and my mother was a proud union member as a teaching assistant for children with special needs.

I’m now a mom of two teenagers, 13 and 16. And yes, there is some sighing, eye-rolling, and they’re very embarrassed that I’m putting them on the spot right now.

I’m a nurse and public health professional who worked for more than 20 years answering calls at all times of the night, on the weekends, over the holidays—you name it—to take care of my patients, friends, and neighbors.

So, the lesson I learned from my conversations with Wisconsinites who I met out on the road won’t surprise you: we aren’t all that different.

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I ran for the State Assembly and then to be your lieutenant governor because these were the issues that were heavy on my mind—as a mother, as a small business owner, as a healthcare provider, and as a Wisconsinite.

And, over the past several months, we saw it everywhere we went: Wisconsinites are strong, resilient, and ready for the bold, urgent solutions Gov. Evers and I have been fighting for to address the challenges we face—solutions that won't change who we are as a state, but instead ensure our state can be all we’ve set out to be.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to our challenges. It’s going to take all of us working together, bringing our ideas to the table, and connecting the dots to build the sort of future we want for our state.

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