section_path: Early life and education
section_name: Early life and education
paragraph_text: Early life and education
  
  Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, Maʻopūtasi County, on American Samoa 's main island of Tutuila. She was the fourth of five children born to Mike Gabbard and his wife Carol (née Porter). In 1983, when Gabbard was two years old, her family moved back to Hawaii, where they had lived in the late 1970s. Her mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan, and her father, who is of Samoan and European ancestry, was born in American Samoa and grew up in Hawaii and Florida.
  
  Gabbard was raised in Hawaii. During her early years, Gabbard's parents owned a vegetarian restaurant, The Natural Deli in Moiliili, Hawaii. Gabbard's childhood included surfing, martial arts, and yoga. She was mostly home schooled, except for two years at a girls' school in the Philippines. Gabbard learned spiritual principles, such as karma, from the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita. As a teenager, she settled into the Hindu faith.
  
  Gabbard's parents also became elected politicians: her father a Hawaii State Senator and her mother a member of the Hawaii Board of Education. As a young adult, Gabbard worked for Stand Up For America (SUFA), founded by her father in the wake of the September 11 attacks. She was also associated with her father's The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee. She worked briefly as an educator for the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, which promoted protection of Hawaii's natural environment. Subsequently, she worked as a self-employed martial arts instructor.
  
  In 2002, when she was 21, Gabbard dropped out of Leeward Community College, where she had been studying television production, to run for election to the Hawaii state legislature, and she became the youngest woman ever elected as a U.S. state representative. In 2009, Gabbard graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in international business.
  
  Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, Maʻopūtasi County, on American Samoa 's main island of Tutuila. She was the fourth of five children born to Mike Gabbard and his wife Carol (née Porter). In 1983, when Gabbard was two years old, her family moved back to Hawaii, where they had lived in the late 1970s. Her mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan, and her father, who is of Samoan and European ancestry, was born in American Samoa and grew up in Hawaii and Florida.
  
  Gabbard was raised in Hawaii. During her early years, Gabbard's parents owned a vegetarian restaurant, The Natural Deli in Moiliili, Hawaii. Gabbard's childhood included surfing, martial arts, and yoga. She was mostly home schooled, except for two years at a girls' school in the Philippines. Gabbard learned spiritual principles, such as karma, from the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita. As a teenager, she settled into the Hindu faith.
  
  Gabbard's parents also became elected politicians: her father a Hawaii State Senator and her mother a member of the Hawaii Board of Education. As a young adult, Gabbard worked for Stand Up For America (SUFA), founded by her father in the wake of the September 11 attacks. She was also associated with her father's The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, an anti-gay marriage political action committee. She worked briefly as an educator for the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, which promoted protection of Hawaii's natural environment. Subsequently, she worked as a self-employed martial arts instructor.
  
  In 2002, when she was 21, Gabbard dropped out of Leeward Community College, where she had been studying television production, to run for election to the Hawaii state legislature, and she became the youngest woman ever elected as a U.S. state representative. In 2009, Gabbard graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in international business.