Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Next Generation of Congresswomen Take Office

It's the dawn of a new era in Washington, D.C., and as soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stands to reclaim her gavel, a new congressional class that includes women like Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prepares to be sworn in.

The fresh-faced group will include a record number of women elected in the 2018 midterm elections, and their descent on the capital has revived the excitement felt on election night. A new generation of young women—and women of color, in particular—are poised to change the face of American government.

Over the past week, many of these congresswomen-elect have documented their moves to D.C. in the way of their generation—on social media. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even shared updates from the road trip she took from her home state of New York, which included a food stop in Philadelphia and culminated in a shot of her new office signage.

You might want to grab a tissue for the latest post from Ilhan Omar, who will represent Minnesota in the chamber. It's a proud Instagram takeover by her father.

"Hey, Ilhan’s dad here: Twenty three years ago, my family and I arrived at an airport in Washington, D.C.," he wrote. "We were newly arrived refugees in this country, from a refugee camp in Kenya. I had heard about the promise of America, prosperity for all and hope for a better tomorrow. I could never have dreamed that 23 years later I would return to the same airport with my daughter Ilhan by my side, the day before she is to be sworn in as the first Somali American elected to the United States Congress."

Lauren Underwood documented her very first phone call from a constituent back home in Illinois.

Ayanna Pressley reflected on the journey that brought her from Massachusetts to D.C. in photos. "I am grateful beyond words to the diverse coalition of voters who made history in 2018. The job description for Congress has changed," she tweeted. "To the disrupters, persisters & believers- together we issued a mandate for HOPE. I am so honored to do this work w you. Washington, here we come."

Debbie Murcasel-Powell, who will now represent Florida, showed off her office—along with her first order of business, ending the government shutdown.

And Rashida Tlaib from Michigan didn't even attempt to temper her enthusiasm (damn right!), describing herself as "screaming inside" and "unapologetically me" on Instagram.

In all the excitement, a hiccup or two is inevitable. Just ask Katie Hill. The congresswoman-elect from California tried to open the door to her office for the first timeand encountered some resistance.

Hill gave up the office she'd first been assigned to so that her fellow congresswoman Ayanna Pressley could sit in the space once occupied by Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman ever elected to Congress. If that's an indication of how the newest members in Washington plan to do business, we're all in.

Meanwhile, Abby Finknauer also made sure to include her parents in what is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The Iowa representative tweeted, "I call this one: 'A retired union pipefitter welder and retired public school secretary walk into their youngest daughter’s Congressional office' ... My first visitors. 💙"

And, of course, the new generation of representatives has Nancy Pelosi to look to as a leader and mentor. The newly minted Speaker of the House had her own sweet moment on the floor. Her granddaughter was so excited she jumped up and down, headbanged, and in general rejoiced when members voted for Pelosi (aka her "Mimi") as Speaker of the House. Later, Pelosi invited her grandchildren and all the other kiddos in the chamber up front while she took her oath of office.

Change is here—and it starts now.