Ihotu recently transitioned into the political world as a Field Intern for President Obama’s Campaign for Change and now as a staffer in the U.S. Congress. As the daughter of a West African immigrant and a native–born American, Ihotu learned to utilize the unique skills and perspective of being bi-cultural, bi-national, and bi-lingual in a globalizing world. She received a BA in International Studies and Political Science from Macalester College. While at Macalester, Ihotu developed her interest in the immigrant experience over six months of volunteering with Sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco, and as the Civic Engagement Center campus coordinator for local immigration issues.

Ihotu interned at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, working on wealth-building programs for low-income families, then returned to the nonprofit sector by working with Somali-led social service agencies in Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali refugee population in the United States. As a researcher, grant writer, event coordinator, English teacher, and employment counselor, Ihotu has advocated for clients to find innovative solutions for daily challenges such as cultural adaptation, language barriers, and the process of rebuilding meaningful and healthy lives in the United States. She draws strength from the wisdom of Dr. King: “We're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly...we cannot walk alone.”