Hi, I’m Sam Wargin Grimaldo. I’m a dad, an attorney, and a lifelong resident of Southside OKC. That last bit is important to me because being from, and a part of, the Southside means more than just a location. Our community is made up of hardworking people from diverse families. We know what it feels like to be ignored, overlooked, and underestimated. That builds the determination needed to overcome obstacles, show up anyway, and put in the work. It makes you appreciate and value self-determination, communal effort, and compassion. Those are the values I’ll bring to the State Legislature!

Since I graduated from UCO in 2012, I have dedicated my professional life to the Southside community. First, as a youth and community programs coordinator at the Latino Community Development Agency, then as an education advocate with the GEAR UP program at UCO, and as a bilingual education teacher for OKCPS. I’m now a criminal defense and immigration attorney, and while I’ve held many different roles the goal has always been the same: help bring better opportunities to my community.

I am dedicated to uplifting the quality of life for every Oklahoman, and that looks like better access to quality healthcare where individuals—not the state—get to determine what is best for them. It looks like fully-funded public schools with qualified and dedicated teachers in every classroom and compassionate approaches that address the whole child, including a focus on the arts. It looks like across-the-board affordability so that all Oklahomans can live dignified lives. It’s making sure that our workers are valued and empowered in their workplaces and that their right to collectively bargain for better conditions is always protected. I’m for an Oklahoma that is for its people.