Student Spotlight: Kartika Fuentes (MPA 2023)
As a David Bohnett Public Service Fellow and member of Wagner's First-Generation Student Association, Kartika is strengthening her advocacy and political organizing skills to translate community-led efforts into legislative action.
What motivated you to attend Wagner, a school of public service?
As a Latina from the Bronx and the daughter of undocumented immigrant parents, schools like these looked unattainable for kids from my socioeconomic background. I completed my undergraduate studies in Ecuador where I became passionate about social justice. I became involved with the Indigenous Resistance movement in Ecuador which brought to light the non-stop harm that socioeconomic neoliberal policies inflict on our most vulnerable. There’s a lot of support needed in our communities and I’ve learned that only el pueblo salva el pueblo (only the people can save the people).
I decided to give back to my community and pursued an AmeriCorps fellowship in the South Bronx. I became involved with community outreach efforts and honed my management skills as volunteer coordinator and outreach associate for South Bronx United supported by the New York Immigration Coalition. During this time, I also completed a congressional internship with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez where I learned more in depth about how community organizing can be translated into legislative advocacy efforts.
Learning about community work within the nonprofit sector and the federal government motivated me to attend NYU Wagner and better understand how to fill-in the gaps left by the nonprofits and local and federal governments. Ultimately, my interest in public service is driven by my fierce commitment to advocacy and positive, sustainable change in my community from the bottom-up.
How has the MPA program supported your career goals?
As an MPA candidate at NYU Wagner specializing in advocacy and political action, courses like community organizing, race and inequality, and advocacy lab have sharpened my understanding of servant leadership, community needs, and their relationship to legislative advocacy. I have had the privilege of practicing what I’m learning in class by serving the Latino community in Texas as a LEAD Democracy fellow and the constituents of the Lower East Side and North Bronx as an intern for Council Member Carlina Rivera and Congressman Jamaal Bowman. In my short-lived experience I’ve learned that by translating community-led efforts into legislation, we can support life-affirming structures for our communities.
Sometimes we go into communities thinking we are going to “fix it,” but in reality, it’s a privilege to serve them because they teach us a lot about what is already working for their community. If we really take the time to listen and understand the needs and desires of our communities, we can build on these existing structures and create an economy where we can all thrive.
In addition to being a student, you’re also a Bohnett Fellow. Can you share a bit about your experience and what you’ve learned thus far?
The David Bohnett Public Service Fellowship offered me the great opportunity to pursue an MPA at Wagner and learn more about a career in municipal government to make a positive impact through community building and grassroots organizing. As a Bohnett Fellow, I was assigned a mentor, Zainab, who is also an NYU alumnus and has been there for everything. Additionally, as a Bohnett Fellow, I have had the opportunity to go to the Conference of Mayors where I learned more about tailored solutions and how mayors from different cities can put aside their differences and support each other.
Can you tell us about the First-Generation Student Association (FGSA), the benefits of being part of this student group, and its role within the Wagner community?
The First-Generation Student Association (FGSA) is a student organization dedicated to enriching the Wagner experience of students who are first in their families to attend graduate school in the United States. FGSA achieves this through connecting first-gen students and administration to partner in opportunities to improve academic and professional achievement of first-gen.
At FGSA we are aiming to build community and networking opportunities for first gen students at Wagner. As first gens we don’t have the safety net that students from privileged backgrounds usually have to land a job after grad school. However, we have a whole community of first-gen students that are currently in the workforce and are more than happy to guide/mentor us through the process.
Any advice for current or prospective Wagner students who identify as first-gen and are interested in public service?
It’s okay to be skeptical of the school, the syllabus, the students, and everything when coming into a predominantly white institution. I was at first because it’s hard to find community in these institutions. I learned that we could never ask too many questions because the clearer we are about our surroundings, the more we can understand how to navigate them. Eventually, I found community with people in this program that share the same common goal of genuinely giving back to our communities in meaningful ways and understand the struggles that came with being first-gen.
My advice is to always ask questions, make as many connections as you can, and be unapologetic about your background and thoughts that you want to share in different classes. We can all learn from each other and I really appreciate the professors at Wagner that have been open to learning from us and our different experiences.