Moments after being elected speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Tuesday, Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk stood before the chamber and contemplated her unlikely journey to that moment.

Born in the Dominican Republic, the Peña family lived in a small wooden house with a leaky tin roof and no indoor plumbing. Some days, she said, there was no food to eat.

When she was 8 years old, the family immigrated to New York City, where Peña-Melnyk was dubbed “abogadito” or “little lawyer” for helping her mother and others by translating at social services offices.

“We relied on social services to survive,” Peña-Melnyk recalled. “You see, those programs were not handouts. They were lifelines.”

With that help, Peña-Melnyk said her family was able to learn and dream and build a life in America.

As Peña-Melnyk takes one of the most important leadership positions in Maryland government, she said she will draw on the resiliency and hope she learned as a child, the mentorship she’s experienced in her political career and the support of her family.

“I will carry those experiences with me into every decision as we confront the real challenges facing America,” Peña-Melnyk said, listing affordable access to education and health care, public safety, economic opportunity and a sustainable future.

She said she’ll address budget challenges “with honesty and discipline.”

She promised to lead the House of Delegates with fairness and respect for differing values.

“I will fight for everyone. I don’t care where you come from, especially those who feel unseen and unheard,” she said. “I am an inclusive leader.”

Peña-Melnyk said delegates need to be mindful of the needs of the entire state as they attack Maryland’s problems.

“Every county matters, every voice matters,” she said.

As speaker, Peña-Melnyk commands the 141-member chamber — selecting committee chairs and other leaders, shaping the policy agenda, leading the Democratic majority’s strategy and presiding over debates.

“I will lead firmly, but I will also lead with heart,” she said.

Peña-Melnyk becomes the first Afro Latina to hold the position. She takes the mantle of leadership from another trailblazer, Del. Adrienne A. Jones, a Black woman who was the first speaker in Maryland’s history dating to 1777 who was not a white man.

Jones stepped back from her leadership position earlier this month after more than six years of wielding the speaker’s gavel; she plans to remain as a delegate representing western Baltimore County.

Peña-Melnyk paid homage to Jones, who was not present for Tuesday’s session.

“There’s a saying that says, ‘You cannot be what you cannot see,’” Peña-Melnyk said. “She opened those doors for someone like me to be here.”

Jones has been steady, courageous and “has an unwavering commitment to the people of Maryland,” Peña-Melnyk said.

Peña-Melnyk quickly emerged as the consensus pick for speaker among her Democratic colleagues during behind-the-scenes phone calls and meetings in the days after Jones’ announcement. Democrats, who hold more than two-thirds of the seats in the House, made their choice official in a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday morning.

The 40-minute meeting was punctuated by cheers and applause multiple times. Peña-Melnyk emerged wearing a Maryland flag scarf and told reporters she was “humbled and honored” to have her colleagues’ support.

Shortly after, the House of Delegates was gaveled into a special session by Speaker Pro Tempore Dana Stein, who was Jones’ second-in-command and has been serving as the presiding officer.

Del. Samuel “Sandy” Rosenberg of Baltimore opened the session with an invocation recalling the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty — “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — a nod to Peña-Melnyk’s immigrant roots.

Lawmakers gave speeches nominating Peña-Melnyk to the post, praising her steady leadership of the health committee and her compassion for her constituents.

Del. Mary Lehman was chief of staff to Peña-Melnyk, who encouraged her to run for office herself. Now they’re colleagues representing the same district. Lehman, who nominated of Peña-Melnyk as speaker Tuesday, called her a “tireless public servant.”

“She sees in others what they may not see in themselves,” Lehman said.

Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, who seconded the nomination, said Peña-Melnyk is a “voice for the voiceless.”

“Her rise from deeply humble beginnings is a testament to her strength, to her tenacity and her fight for others,” said Wilkins, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland who also had sought the speakership.

Del. Thomas Hutchinson, a Republican from Dorchester County, moved to close the nominations, praising Peña-Melnyk’s respect for members of her committee.

That motion was seconded by Del. Ben Barnes, a Prince George’s Democrat and another contender for speaker, who said Peña-Melnyk would bring “tenacity, grit, compassion and force” to the role as speaker.

“I couldn’t be more proud of you, my big sister. I love you,” Barnes said, and soon was enveloped in a hug from Peña-Melnyk.

Peña-Melnyk, 59, was born in the Dominican Republic and spent part of her childhood in New York City. After college and law school in Buffalo, she made her way to the Washington, D.C., area.

She served on the College Park City Council and later won election to the House of Delegates representing a district that includes neighborhoods in northern Prince George’s and western Anne Arundel County.

While most House speakers served on budgeting, taxation or business-related committees, Peña-Melnyk spent her House career on the Health and Government Operations Committee. She became the chair in 2022.

She has amassed significant expertise in health policy. She has championed immigrants’ rights and policies advancing racial equity.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, expressed optimism about his working relationship with Peña-Melnyk.

“She is incredibly talented. She’s thoughtful, and most importantly, she’s just a good human. She’s a good person, and leads with her heart,” Ferguson said. “And I think we’re gonna work really well together”

Progressive advocates expressed optimism about Peña-Melnyk’s leadership, kicking off the day with a pep rally. They wasted no time in lobbying the new speaker, advocating for Maryland to join the national redistricting back-and-forth by redrawing its congressional maps.

A few dozen people held signs reading “Redistrict Now” and expressed hope that Peña-Melnyk would support the cause as speaker. They also pressed for support for increasing the minimum wage, protection for immigrants and progress on health care access.

“She is truly the anti-Trump we need in these times,” Del. Teresa Woorman, a Montgomery County Democrat, said during the rally.

Peña-Melnyk’s ascendance to the speakership drew well-wishers and dignitaries from across the state, including Gov. Wes Moore and a number of officials from Prince George’s County.

As Peña-Melnyk made her way to the State House for the special session, Ashley Esposito and Joanne Antoine seized the opportunity to congratulate the speaker-to-be and pose for photos. They said Peña-Melnyk’s background as an immigrant from the Caribbean will inform her work in important ways.

“She understands the needs of the Black and brown diaspora,” said Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland.

Esposito is a member of Baltimore’s school board and advocate for harm-reduction strategies for substance use. Seeing someone in leadership with a similar background is powerful, Esposito said.

“So many people can relate to her,” Esposito said.

Banner reporters Lee O. Sanderlin and Brenda Wintrode contributed to this article.