Alumni Spotlight: Jessica González-Rojas (MPA 2003)

In 2020, Jessica González-Rojas (MPA 2003) was elected to the New York State Assembly representing the 34th Assembly District, which includes the diverse Queens communities of Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside, and Corona. She is an unapologetic social justice leader fighting for the values of dignity, justice, and equity. González-Rojas has dedicated her life—on both the local and national level—to fight for immigrant rights, racial justice, and gender equity, and she is now bringing that fight to Albany.

Prior to getting her MPA from Wagner, González-Rojas worked in the nonprofit sector for a number of years. After gaining an advocacy manager position, she began thinking about next steps in her career, which ultimately led her to Wagner and a job at NYU. During her time at NYU, González-Rojas worked in Student Affairs at the Office of Multicultural Education and Programs (CMEP), supporting students of color in particular, while also studying policy and nonprofit management at Wagner. Though she had started her degree hoping to build her expertise in nonprofit management, she ended up being very drawn to policy. Ultimately her time at NYU fueled the next step in her career—serving as a policy and advocacy director at a Latina reproductive justice organization.

During the course of her career, González-Rojas spent many years working in the nonprofit sector, working areas related to early childhood education, higher education, racial justice, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ liberation issues, and most recently running the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

In 2018 though, González-Rojas noted that there was a radical shift in politics in her Jackson Heights community with the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress, along with several other local elections, including the election of a DREAMer in a neighboring community. Riding this wave of change, González-Rojas, with the support and encouragement of her community, decided to launch a campaign to put her in the State Assembly with the goal of putting someone in office who was more reflective of the community they were representing. She ultimately won that race and took office in January 2021. Since taking office, some of the key policies González-Rojas has advocated for include the repeal of the Walking While Trans Ban, and passing marijuana reform, the ‘HALT’ Solitary Confinement Act, and the most progressive budget in New York history, which included the Excluded Workers Fund.

“It's been exciting to be part of pushing the Assembly to the left, to the very progressive—I would argue perhaps radical—but it's really about centering communities that have never had a voice and never been centered in policy. That's been my goal, and we've seen it happen with some of the most progressive votes taken in just the last four months. It's hard to see the sacrifice it takes to get to this place, and yet I'm so proud to have done this much so far.”

For those looking to enter the political field, González-Rojas has the following words of advice:

“Be really open-minded—talk to the people impacted by the policies you're interested in passing, and build relationships with advocates. Make sure you're getting into politics for the right reasons. It's really hard, and very lonely to run for office. So ask yourself: what is the different voice you bring to the table and why are you qualified to take on this role? Think about the whole ecosystem of roles you can play to create policy change.”

For more information about Jessica González-Rojas and the New York State Assembly, visit her website.