Kamala Harris is one of 10 presidential candidates taking part in a Democratic debate at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, July 31, on CNN. Ten others debated on Tuesday evening. Harris is the junior US Senator for California. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion at CNN.

(CNN) Out on the campaign trail, voters often ask me about the people in my life who made it possible for me to stand in front of them as a candidate for President of the United States. I tell them about two women who were central to making me who I am today. The first is my mother, Shymala. She was all of five feet tall but if you ever met her you would have thought she was seven feet tall. She was a wonderful mother and a force to be reckoned with. She instilled in me and my sister, a deep sense of responsibility to advocate for the voiceless and vulnerable and to always fight for justice.

Kamala Harris

The second person is Mrs. Frances Wilson. She was my first grade teacher at Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Berkeley, California. Mrs. Wilson instilled a sense of hope and courage within me during the formative years of my life and believed in me every step of the way.

So many of us have had that one teacher who made a profound impact on our lives, who looked at us and convinced us we were special. Maybe we weren't particularly special, but they convinced us we were and we believed them. Those teachers are all across America.

When I announced my first major policy proposal of this campaign -- to give every public school teacher in America a raise -- I thought of Mrs. Wilson and the countless other teachers across our country who inspire, teach and mold our future.

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