In anticipation of Queens Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz ’05 coming to John Jay on April 11, 2019, as part of the ¡Adelante! Leadership Series, we sat down with our distinguished alumna and learned more about her experience on the election trail. Like so many students at John Jay, Cruz’s drive to serve the public came from her experience growing up an undocumented immigrant, and witnessing mistreatment and unfairness affecting the people in her Queens community. Here’s how Cruz trailblazed a path to the New York State Assembly Chamber.
What made you decide to run to become District 39's Assemblywoman?
It was actually a conversation with Council member Daniel Dromm, who is the Chair of the Finance Committee. He said to me that he needed a real partner in the Assembly to help him get the work done that our community needed. He also said, given my story as an immigrant and how it related to the community, that I would be the perfect person to help him do that. So I had a conversation with my mom, checked my gut, and I ran a beautiful community-driven campaign.
What would you say were some of the biggest challenges you faced during that race?
One of them was money. It's so expensive to run, but I pledged to do it without money from corporations or big interests. So, it was just fundraising from people. Another challenge was the negative campaigning that was thrown at me. Not so much because it affected me, but because I could see that it affected my mother. I'm constantly looking to protect her. My opponents couldn’t find anything to say, so they started making up things. My mom, who is not someone from the political world, had a hard time understanding why some of these things were happening. When I saw her frustration and her hurt, that was difficult for me.
What would you say was the most exhilarating moment during the race?
One of the most exhilarating moments was the Errol Louis debate on NY1. There were several points during the debate where I knew I had it in the bag. I love debating, it's not for a lot of people, but I love being able to think on my feet and show people how much we care.
“I want to create an office where people see us as the first line of defense for anything that happens in our community.” —Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz
If everything goes according to plan, looking back, what would you have accomplished?
Being able to have an office full of people that need our help. The reason I say that is because I want to create an office where people see us as the first line of defense for anything that happens in our community. I want people to feel like we are their go-to person. When I can see my office filled with people that say, ‘we come to you because you help us,’ that's going to be huge. The other one is being able to make sure that we are combating the overcrowding in our schools. If we could get driver’s licenses for all, that would be a dream come true. And, if we could get rent reform, that would be amazing.
Want to hear more from Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz? See her at John Jay on Thursday, April 11, 2019, Haaren Hall, Room 630, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
To support informed participation in our democracy, the College provides access to public officials in their official capacity and candidates without regard to political party affiliation or policy views. Views expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the position of the College.
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