I will demand investment in public safety and take a proactive, nuanced approach.

The South Bronx has seen some of the highest rates of crime in our city. Gun violence has harmed our communities, and the substance-use addiction crisis has also led to violence and unsafe living and working conditions in the Bronx. I will push to invest in evidence-based programs that lead to public safety. I will also commit to utilizing the resources from my campaign and government office to support and create cultural and mutual aid programs focused on changing expectations around the resources available to South Bronx communities. 

The Bronx has not received enough funding for critical services and programs for years. A history of corruption and greed left much of our neighborhoods burning and, until as recently as the 70s and 80s, abandoned by the city, state, and national government. Even today, in 2025, people in the Bronx can feel like they are living in an entirely different city because of the challenges our neighborhoods face compared to those in other boroughs. 

I will ensure that we continue to invest in research-based violence prevention programs, such as Lincoln Hospital’s Guns Down Life Up and substance abuse counseling programs, and expand models that are proving successful outside the district, such as Jacobi Hospital’s Stand Up to Violence (SUV) program. I will support gun buyback programs and collaborate with our local police precinct to learn more about the trends of violence impacting our communities and work together to think of ways to proactively address violence before it begins. I will be a strong supporter in ensuring that our city has the funding needed for Mayor Mamdani’s Department of Community Safety. 

And I will use the power of my role as State Committeewoman to advocate for programming that directly addresses the challenging situations that can lead to violence – from ideas like free breakfast or healthy snack initiatives, to engaging and fun family programs, to mental health services. I will utilize constituent services to help fill the gap left by decades of chronic disinvestment and will make every effort to bring the best of our city’s resources directly to our community, building by building and door by door.

I will champion laws that raise the bar for literacy in Bronx schools.

I am a Bronx public school teacher, triple-certified in Special Education, English Language Arts, and Literacy. I am also a City Year AmeriCorps alumna who served as a tutor at a middle school. I have worked at multiple Bronx schools throughout my career and know the brilliance of our young people as well as the challenges they face. 

Just as there is an affordability crisis in our city, there is a reading crisis in our schools. Every student deserves the right to read, and I would do everything in my power to demand increased resources and legislation focused on improving literacy rates in Bronx schools.

In the past few decades, many teachers in New York and across the United States were instructed to teach reading using a false method called “three cueing,” telling young students to rely on the pictures in a book or guess based on the pictures before and after, instead of sounding out the words. In recent years, however, a national movement has grown to ensure that reading instruction is grounded in the science of reading—phonics, which is popular and familiar to most parents, as well as science-based writing and vocabulary instruction, and more. Despite many challenges, there are schools right here in the South Bronx working to beat the odds and improve students' reading outcomes. South Bronx Literacy Academy, for example, partners with the private school Windward Institute to bring high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction to its Bronx public school students, and it is one of the few public elementary schools in the entire city that has seen reading growth. With my knowledge of reading science and education policy, I will push for an expansion of schools like South Bronx Literacy Academy throughout Assembly District 84.

I will join Mayor Mamdani’s relentless fight to freeze the rent, make buses fast and free, and deliver universal childcare.

The affordability crisis is impacting all New Yorkers, but for our communities in Mott Haven, Melrose, Port Morris, Hunts Point, Longwood, and more, affordability has long been a major issue impacting families. As a teacher, I see the ways that the affordability crisis impacts students and their families each day. Students may struggle to do their best work due to housing instability, food insecurity, and other challenges. 

Our district is changing in many ways, with new businesses and entrepreneurs bringing excellent new opportunities for economic development to the area. There are also new housing opportunities for families and working professionals, boasting many of the same amenities that are typical of developments in other boroughs. At the same time, the new housing is not affordable for most of our community, and there are increasing concerns of gentrification and a lack of community investment along the waterfront. 

I would combine my appreciation for and knowledge of the history of our communities along with an understanding of the perspectives and interests of working young professionals in our borough, demanding development that everyone in our community can enjoy, pushing for access and equity in any development plans, and fighting for investment in our neighbors, not neighbors fearing being pushed out because of the rising costs of rent. I would also advocate reforming the AMI regulations that result in expensive apartments listed for rent as “affordable”. 

I would also be a strong advocate demanding the legislation needed to enact Mayor Mamdani’s affordability agenda. Freezing the rent, fast and free buses, and universal childcare would have a major positive impact on our Bronx communities. Mayor Mamdani needs elected allies who are ready to push for this agenda each and every day, and I will ensure the Bronx is always at the table every step of the way.