On Monday, March 14, 2022, students in the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women had an engaging discussion with New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, who since 2017 has represented the 2nd Council District, which stretches from the Lower East Side to East 35th Street.  

NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera

  Her journey to her current position on the Council began by growing up on the Lower East Side with a single mother from Puerto Rico whose struggle to make ends meet was made possible by the public assistance available to families like hers. This is why, she explained, she has such a strong commitment to making sure that government policies help people get the aid they need to live safe and productive lives, whether that means working to keep food and living expenses manageable in her district, getting homeless people necessary mental health support to keep them out of the jail system (something she is especially concerned about in her role as chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice) or ensuring, as a passionate urban biker herself, that bike paths remain open and protected. She urged the students to participate as much as possible in the civic lives of their communities as a way of both understanding the issues that affect people on a day-to-day basis and having a positive voice in crafting the solutions. She also noted, with evident pride, that in 2022, the Council has for the first time, a majority of seats held by women and hopes that that will lead to more empathy in designing legislation and policies. The students were impressed by the story of how her personal and political belief echo each other and the way she is always trying to connect to the needs and hopes of her constituents. Yael Teitelman ’23S liked her “friendly and down-to-earth demeanor” and felt inspired by how Council Member Rivera believed that “any person with a genuine interest to help could be a part of their city council.” Thank you to Yael Teitelman for her assistance in the writing of this article.