Editing Cherelle Parker (section)

== Early Life and Career ==

Cherelle Parker grew up in Northwest Philadelphia, raised by her grandmother in the East Germantown neighborhood. She attended Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School before earning degrees from Lincoln University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her early career included work in community organizing and government before entering electoral politics.<ref name="parker"/>

Parker won election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2005, representing the 200th District covering portions of Northwest Philadelphia. During her decade in Harrisburg, she focused on education funding, job creation, and constituent services. Her legislative work built relationships and expertise that would inform her subsequent career.<ref name="parker"/>