For a member of the United States Senate, Tim Scott comes from an unusual background. Instead of the affluence or familial political legacy that characterizes members of the chamber, he recalls growing up in poverty. And he says that experience, coupled with his Christian faith, define who he is today.

“I do think that my experience growing up in poverty, a single-parent household, living with my grandparents in a very small house, sharing a bedroom with my mother and my brother for a couple years, all of that informed me and sensitized me to the average person in the average place in our country today,” Scott told the Washington Examiner. “I think it helps me remain grounded and focused on how to create outcomes for Americans and not have a political debate about issues from a partisan perspective.”