When I was growing up, my father, a livery cab driver from Corozal, Puerto
Rico, and my mother, a seamstress from a small town in Ecuador, were too
stubborn to let tough times undermine their attempts at providing our family
with better opportunities. Although they didn’t have much money, my parents
instilled in me a strong sense of self-worth. The only thing they ever asked in
return was that I treat others with respect and that I make sure that education
came first. Given this support, I worked hard so that, one day, I would be
prepared to help people just like my parents.
For several years, I have been privileged to serve you on Community School
Board 15, which includes Sunset Park, Red Hook, Boerum Hill, Park Slope, and
Windsor Terrace. I fought hard to reduce class size in first grade to less than 20 students. I
also helped establish the first full-day pre-K program in New York City. Under
my leadership, District 15 is now, for the first time in its history, in the
top ten districts citywide for reading and math.
My commitment to children and education is longstanding. Before law school, I
was a teacher a public junior high school. Today, I continue coaching teenagers
in Sunset Park’s Trinity Lutheran Basketball League, a couple of blocks away
from where I live. There, we provide instruction in both basketball and life
skills to neighborhood youth.
Professionally, I am an Assistant Attorney General and represent the interests
of New Yorkers in federal court. While at NYU Law, I worked hard to protect the
rights of poor and elderly immigrants when punitive immigration laws threatened
to take away their benefits.
I understand personally the needs of working families and the need to set high
standards for our children. If elected, I will continue to make a difference in
our community.
(Statement reprinted as supplied by the candidate.)
Participating in
the NYC Campaign Finance Program.
View
Candidate Statement Disclaimer
|
