Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is best known today for her hard hitting and inspirational political stance, but where did her life begin?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) grew up in the Bronx, a district of New York City. She would remain in the district for her entire young life, only moving out briefly to attend college in Boston.
Read on to learn more about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ life growing up.
The Big Apple
Reportedly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has always taken an interest in politics. As a child, she would allegedly spend time in both the Bronx and Yorktown. These two districts of New York different greatly, and she noticed the clear-cut contrast between the two.
The Bronx was a notorious district in New York City, and had been so for decades. In the 1970s, the murder rate in the borough skyrocketed. There was a wave of arson attacks in the sixties that destroyed thousands of properties.
However, by the 2010s, everything had been turned around. The borough was considered safe, and was blossoming. The population was on the rise, and business and commerce was thriving. The people of the Bronx were proud to call it home, as many New York City citizens are.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wanted to be instrumental in the revival of the Bronx. After a considerably impressive academic spree, she turned her hand to politics. Her desire was to right all the wrongs she’d witness, from the inside.
She was definitely in the right frame of mind. AOC had graduated cum laude from the university she attended in Boston. She boasted considerable accolades, majoring in both economics and international relations.
She’d always been deeply academic, winning science awards in high school. Ultimately, her work and research in microbiology earned her an incredible award. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory took it upon themselves to name an asteroid after her.
Throughout her teenage and young adult life, AOC witnessed disparity between classes. She has detailed on many occasions seeing first-hand the advantages that money and power gave people.
When her father passed away in 2008, she learned how attorneys enriched themselves. After she finished college and returned to the Bronx, she fought the foreclosure of her mother’s home. She worked for non-profit organizations, and helped out with political campaigns.
While working as an intern in college, she assisted Spanish speaking individuals with ICE cases. This gave her a key and clear insight into how some classes and races were treated, first-hand. She would denounce ICE years later, proclaiming it a “rogue agency.”
Getting Political
When AOC decided to run for office, it was at its foundation a grassroots campaign. In 2018, she expressed her interest in running, and began a campaign that started with absolutely nothing. At the time, she was waiting tables in a bar.
She recognized what she needed to do to win, stating: “You can’t really beat big money with more money. You have to beat them with a totally different game.” She acknowledged that she wouldn’t be able to fight the considerable wallets of the opposition with money.
Instead, AOC turned to grassroots activism and endorsements to secure her spot. She and her small team began designing campaign posters, taking on a ‘revolutionary’ style. She was supported by various organizations, including Black Lives Matter and Democracy for America.
When her primary election came around, she won with 57% of the votes. The win itself was shocking, and Time magazine labelled it “the biggest upset of the 2018 elections so far”. She was massively praised for her victory, and continuous support rolled in.
Following a string of political success, AOC entered congress in 2019. At the time, she was the youngest woman ever to be elected to congress. She began making impressive waves in Washington, as shown by a ‘best moments’ compilation on YouTube.
Ultimately, her posting now allowed her to support the borough she’d grown up in and come to love: The Bronx.