These 14 TCNJ alums did.<\/p>\n
Some have been in it for decades; a few left, but went back; and two started at a time when they weren\u2019t exactly alumni yet.<\/p>\n
But while all have had their ideals tested in some way, they remain in government, because as banal as it may sound, they still believe they can make a positive difference in the lives of their fellow citizens.<\/p>\n
Or as one put it, \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are their stories.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mmorgan_220405_1053_med-200x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chris Smith \u201975<\/strong>
\nU.S. House of Representatives<\/em><\/h3>\nChris Smith doesn\u2019t recall if he <\/span>was assigned to defend the \u201crights of the unborn\u201d or if he chose the topic himself; the issue had not previously been on his radar, he says. But in his public speaking class at Trenton State, the freshman knew he\u2019d struck a chord by the vehemence of the pushback he received from some fellow students.<\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s where it all started, right there,\u201d Smith says; both the unborn and their mothers were victims who needed advocates, he decided. Before long, he was running a Right to Life campus organization.<\/p>\n
Smith had planned to study business administration, with the idea of taking over his parents\u2019 sporting goods business. In addition to his degree, he emerged with a lifelong passion \u2014 as well as a girlfriend, Marie, a fellow student who became his wife. By 27, he\u2019d won a seat in Congress, on his second try, in part as an anti-abortion candidate.<\/p>\n
Still debated today, the \u201cright to life\u201d has been Smith\u2019s signature issue through four decades on the Hill. But it\u2019s just one of his many efforts to defend society\u2019s \u201cmost vulnerable,\u201d he says: veterans, people with autism or Alzheimer\u2019s, victims of human trafficking, and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is rooted in my faith,\u201d he says. \u201cWe need to have their back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frequently \u201cbending into the wind,\u201d Smith champions the rights of people who face persecution all over the world: Muslim Uyghurs in China, victims of genocide at the hands of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. When Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Smith did not hesitate to label Vladimir Putin a \u201cwar criminal\u201d and call for his immediate indictment.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of the House\u2019s most prolific authors of legislation and claims his staff has handled 94,000 constituent cases over the years, helping individuals navigate government. In one of his re-election campaigns, an opponent dismissed him as \u201can overpaid caseworker.\u201d Smith took it as a compliment. \u201cCasework and policymaking are the two jobs\u201d of congressional members, he says.<\/p>\n
Though he is steadfast in his opposition to abortion, Smith is known for crossing the aisle on issues and hopes that the practice makes a comeback. He loathes \u201cdeceit, bickering, and mockery\u201d and regards personal attacks as \u201ctragic.\u201d All are far too common in D.C., Smith says. \u201cIt is a bipartisan, bicameral process here, and if you can find common ground, you ought to,\u201d he says. People with opposing views \u201care not the enemy,\u201d he says, and \u201cWe need to reclaim that, for the sake of our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_-Kari-Osmond_2022_128-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Kari Osmond \u201909<\/strong>
\nChief of staff, U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman<\/em><\/h3>\nKari Osmond groans, recalling a <\/span>moment from her time at TCNJ. She was \u201cobnoxiously\u201d challenging the grade she\u2019d gotten in a political science class when the teacher, Reed Gusciora, made her an offer.<\/p>\n\u201cHe says, \u2018you have so much to say: Would you want to take an internship with me?\u2019\u201d she says. Until that moment, Osmond was unaware that Gusciora was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly at the time.<\/p>\n
Working in Gusciora\u2019s office she was \u201chooked immediately\u201d on public service, she says. \u201cI thought, \u2018this is how you make a difference. This is how people\u2019s lives are changed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Osmond stayed on after graduation, rising to become Gusciora\u2019s chief of staff before going to work for Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, whom she now serves in the same capacity in Washington, D.C. When Osmond wed her wife in 2018, it was possible in part because of gay marriage legislation she had worked on with Gusciora, who\u2019s now the mayor of Trenton. Both he and Watson Coleman officiated the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Working on the Hill in today\u2019s \u201ccrazy partisan\u201d atmosphere is \u201ca battle,\u201d Osmond acknowledges, but her idealism is undimmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that we have to use violent terminology to describe politics and government,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are some really knockdown, depressing days where you\u2019re like, this isn\u2019t worth it. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_-Senator-Shirley-Turner_2022_055-300x200.jpg\")
Shirley Turner \u201964<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nGrowing up poor and Black, Shirley Turner had it drilled into her head by her parents, neither of whom had made it past the eighth grade: She was going to earn a high school diploma. But along the way, she would have to outperform her classmates.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of my race, I had to be twice as good,\u201d Turner recalls.<\/p>\n
By the time she graduated from Dover High School, Turner had played on the basketball, softball, hockey, and rifle teams, served in student government, and was senior class president.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was overly involved,\u201d she says, fueled by determination that powered her into and through Trenton State. There, as one of 19 Black students, \u201cwe all knew each other; we were like a support system.\u201d She held down two jobs en route to a degree in health and physical education: collecting dirty trays from the \u201cslop chute\u201d in the college\u2019s cafeteria and waitressing off campus on weekends.<\/p>\n
Across her more than five decades, the unmistakable through line of Turner\u2019s career has been education.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation is the great equalizer in this society,\u201d she says. \u201cHad I not had that opportunity, I never would have achieved middle-class status.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner worked for 44 years for Rider University as a counselor while serving as a Mercer County Commissioner, then a state assemblywoman, and for the past 24 years, a member of the state senate. Now vice-chair of the chamber\u2019s Education Committee, her record includes innumerable efforts to enhance schooling and skills training, end the pipeline to prison, and help the incarcerated stay out upon release by expanding their minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thrust ever since I was elected to office has been to provide those kinds of opportunities to everybody, no matter what their economic status or zip code, from K to 12 and beyond,\u201d she says. \u201cMy attitude is that if I can do it, anybody can do it if they have the same opportunities I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_-Mark_Freda-_2022_009-200x300.jpg\")
Mark Freda \u201982<\/strong>
\nMayor, Princeton, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nAfter 13 years <\/span>on the Princeton council, Mark Freda stepped away from politics in 1999. With a job in New York City and two kids at home, it had become too much.<\/p>\nBut two decades later, Freda says he saw what he perceived to be \u201csome shortcomings in the way decisions were being made\u201d about emergency services. As a lifelong borough resident who\u2019d joined the fire department at age 18, that chafed him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018do I moan and groan, or do something about it?\u2019\u201d he says. With his kids grown and the commute a thing of the past, he ran again in 2020, this time for mayor, and won a four-year term.<\/p>\n
Bringing a fresh perspective on the relationship between municipal government and residents, Freda has embraced new levels of transparency, posting regularly on social media and hosting a podcast about local people and goings-on, shedding light on grassroots efforts to advance affordable housing, the arts, LGBTQ issues, and more.<\/p>\n
But still, there\u2019s nothing like the one-on-one connections he gets to experience with community members, he says, though adjustments may be needed for lengthy, unscheduled discussions. \u201cI\u2019ve learned when I\u2019m grocery shopping not to pick up anything perishable until the last minute,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause you never know what aisle you\u2019re going to get stopped in.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_Senator-Jean-Stanfield_2022_019-200x300.jpg\")
Jean Stanfield \u201984<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nJean Stanfield was so shy that she dropped out of Trenton State College for a semester rather than fulfill a public speaking requirement for graduation.<\/p>\n
Though she was already married and a mother twice over, \u201cI remember being terrified,\u201d she says. She returned when the requirement was changed to allow group discussion because \u201cI was better at talking in small groups,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is reticent no more. You don\u2019t serve 18 years as Burlington County sheriff, win election to the state assembly, and then move up to the state Senate, as she did earlier this year, as a mouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I got over my public speaking issues,\u201d Stanfield says. \u201cI\u2019ll never be the kind of person who loves being up at the podium, but I do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A daughter of educators who met as students at Trenton State, Stanfield absorbed the lesson at the kitchen table that \u201cyou do what you can to serve,\u201d she says. And throughout her career, as a mother of biracial children, she has been a champion of civil rights in areas of employment and criminal justice.<\/p>\n
Still, when George Floyd was killed in 2020, Stanfield found, after some self-reflection and \u201cseveral long talks with my son,\u201d that she had not been using her voice as fully as possible. And she publicly owned up to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to confront a very uncomfortable reality about myself,\u201d she wrote in an op-ed. \u201cI totally dropped the ball and did not do the most important thing I could do, which was to speak out loudly and clearly, each and every time, I heard someone make a statement that showed their implicit bias.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pledged \u201cto speak up, because when people believe these things and their thoughts go unquestioned, they accumulate over time and lead to a feeling of superiority and entitlement,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is also a co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee environmental rights for all, in recognition of the reality that \u201cparticularly in urban areas and lower-income areas, people don\u2019t always have the same quality of air and water that we have in other areas of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose issues are important to me, that everybody has opportunities, everybody gets treated the same,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_-Verlina_-2022_037-300x200.jpg\")
Verlina Reynolds-Jackson \u201994
\n<\/strong>New Jersey General Assembly<\/em><\/h3>\nA \u201csuper-auntie,\u201d Verlina <\/span>Reynolds-Jackson was early in her career as a social worker in her home city of Trenton when she temporarily became a foster parent to the children of relatives suffering from mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\u201cI was single one day and the single parent of four the next day,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the kids was being bullied and was afraid to make the short walk home from school. After school arrangements and other services were needed for all four. To top things off, Reynolds-Jackson\u2019s car broke down, and she found herself \u201cwith a 3-year-old on my hip, waiting for a bus, trying to make these calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was fortunate, she says, that she knew how to navigate bureaucracies, \u201cbut it kept gnawing at me\u201d that not every parent in a similar situation would know who to call, let alone have the time to be persistent while trying to create a loving atmosphere. The lack of advocacy at the local level fueled her passion to be a public servant and in 2010 she was elected to Trenton\u2019s East Ward seat.<\/p>\n
Seven years later, she successfully ran for state assembly, taking the District 15 seat previously held by fellow TCNJ alumna and state senator Shirley K. Turner \u201964, whom she calls \u201ca great mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was never in my plan. I was a social worker just trying to help people,\u201d Reynolds-Jackson says. Now, she views herself as a \u201cconnector to opportunity\u201d between residents and government resources, aided by another TCNJ alum, her chief of staff, Ed Gittens \u201985.<\/p>\n
And from her office on West State Street, she says proudly, \u201cI can see the back door of my mother\u2019s house. It reminds me every day to never forget,\u201d she says, \u201cthat to whom much is given, much is required.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Hayeck_2728_DSC7344_v2_sm-214x300.jpg\")
Freddie Hayeck \u201922
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Watchung Borough, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nIdly poking around his school <\/span>district\u2019s website while procrastinating on his homework one night his senior year of high school, Freddie Hayeck learned of an upcoming election for an open school board seat. So he decided to run for it, and won, just days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever electee in New Jersey history.<\/p>\nBut it wasn\u2019t as impulsive as that. In fact, Hayeck appears lab-designed for involvement. As an Eagle Scout, he\u2019d participated in American Legion Boys State, and was president of his class at the time of his election. He also was, and still is, a volunteer firefighter and first aid squad member.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as my personal brand, I would say that service has always\u00a0been a part of my life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
In early spring 2022, Hayeck was wrapping up his studies as a business administration major, completing his 300-hour commitment to AmeriCorps, working full time at a Trenton lobbying firm, responding to fire alarms and accident calls, and attending meetings of the Watchung Borough council, to which he was elected in 2020. Did we mention that?<\/p>\n
Hayeck admits there was a moment when he was tempted \u201cto just stop being involved in or follow politics\u201d because of the rancor at the national level. But he says he instead felt even more drawn to local government because of its ability to actually solve problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about where to put a recycled book drop-off, or what type of trees we\u2019re going to plant, or looking for grant monies to help address environmental issues, that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re just talking about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Final_cardoni_-Katie_Comanto_-2022_115_sm-200x300.jpg\")
Katie Nestor Comanto \u201912<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey deputy secretary of higher education<\/em><\/h3>\nSince her first semester at <\/span>TCNJ, Katie Comanto\u2019s life journey has included a number of course corrections.<\/p>\nPicturing a career in medicine, she began as a science major, an idea that lasted \u201cabout 12 weeks,\u201d she says. So she switched her major to psychology. But by senior year, she had drifted toward law, having decided to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps. And after earning her JD from Seton Hall Law, she landed a job with a firm with a niche specialty: representing school boards.<\/p>\n
None of it was expected \u2014 least of all, her two most recent twists: getting tapped to serve as Counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on education law in the \u201chavoc\u201d of the pandemic, and, since early this year, her current job as New Jersey\u2019s deputy secretary of higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an undergrad, I would have never predicted I\u2019d be in this role today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy working hours are now spent directly impacting the lives of people across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her contemporaries might recognize her as Katie Nestor, who won a NCAA designation as an All-American cross-country and track-and-field athlete. As a \u201cproud product of New Jersey schools,\u201d Comanto still works out problems while running, now focused on somewhat arcane issues, such as licenses for colleges and universities seeking to expand. But always in the background, she says, is an awareness that \u201chigher education is so determinative about where your life can go.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lynn Azarchi \u201998
\n<\/strong>Acting director of the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget<\/em><\/h3>\nBorn to serve:<\/strong> Been in OMB <\/span>for 22 years.<\/p>\nGood trouble: <\/span><\/strong>During the pandemic, when so many people lost jobs and were living in fear, having their lives turned upside down, I was proud to be a part of New Jersey\u2019s recovery effort directing a budget that helped those most in need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Marita Sciarrotta \u201989<\/strong>
\nDeputy director, New Jersey Division of Taxation<\/em><\/h3>\nPaying her dues:<\/strong> Money we collect <\/span>helps to pay for lights on our streets, incubators in neonatal clinics, parks and recreational areas, housing, and education.<\/p>\nPart of the whole:<\/strong> Government is a <\/span>behemoth institution. But it\u2019s the people, the individuals, the public servants, that are it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Adriana Yunes \u201922<\/strong>
\nOutreach aide for Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer<\/em><\/h3>\nWhy she serves:<\/strong> I grew up in <\/span>Newark, where education is disproportionately funded compared to other New Jersey districts. I want to help communities where people face significant obstacles.<\/p>\nTaking cues:<\/strong> <\/span>I learned from Assemblywoman Jaffer the importance of having diverse voices in these spaces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Daniel Hurley \u201919
\n<\/strong>Intern, U.S. Department of State<\/em><\/h3>\nGood day on the Hill:<\/strong> Prepared <\/span>materials for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use in a meeting.<\/p>\nBriefing room:<\/strong> <\/span>People have the power to change what they do not like about government. Skepticism should fuel engagement with government, not disengagement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Madina Ouedraogo \u201918<\/strong>
\nPolicy coordinator for the Office of Governor Phil Murphy<\/em><\/h3>\nHer causes:<\/strong> <\/span>Gender equity and racial justice.<\/p>\nHer reason: <\/span><\/strong>To progress policy reforms to help marginalized communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Al Ribeiro \u201902
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Bernardsville, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nKey issues: <\/span><\/strong>Revitalizing downtown and upgrading infrastructure and emergency preparedness.<\/p>\nAlso seen around town:<\/strong> Worked on <\/span>John McCain\u2019s presidential campaign.<\/p>\nStump speech:<\/strong> Focus on the <\/span>community immediately around you. It will restore your faith in the positive impact that leadership can have.<\/p>\nPictures: Bill Cardoni\/Mike Morgan\/Peter Murphy
\nHeader image: Mihai Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s daunting to talk politics these days. But some alumni who are working in local, state, and federal roles remind us why we need not be discouraged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":11933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11909"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11959,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions\/11959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cThat\u2019s where it all started, right there,\u201d Smith says; both the unborn and their mothers were victims who needed advocates, he decided. Before long, he was running a Right to Life campus organization.<\/p>\n
Smith had planned to study business administration, with the idea of taking over his parents\u2019 sporting goods business. In addition to his degree, he emerged with a lifelong passion \u2014 as well as a girlfriend, Marie, a fellow student who became his wife. By 27, he\u2019d won a seat in Congress, on his second try, in part as an anti-abortion candidate.<\/p>\n
Still debated today, the \u201cright to life\u201d has been Smith\u2019s signature issue through four decades on the Hill. But it\u2019s just one of his many efforts to defend society\u2019s \u201cmost vulnerable,\u201d he says: veterans, people with autism or Alzheimer\u2019s, victims of human trafficking, and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is rooted in my faith,\u201d he says. \u201cWe need to have their back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frequently \u201cbending into the wind,\u201d Smith champions the rights of people who face persecution all over the world: Muslim Uyghurs in China, victims of genocide at the hands of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. When Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Smith did not hesitate to label Vladimir Putin a \u201cwar criminal\u201d and call for his immediate indictment.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of the House\u2019s most prolific authors of legislation and claims his staff has handled 94,000 constituent cases over the years, helping individuals navigate government. In one of his re-election campaigns, an opponent dismissed him as \u201can overpaid caseworker.\u201d Smith took it as a compliment. \u201cCasework and policymaking are the two jobs\u201d of congressional members, he says.<\/p>\n
Though he is steadfast in his opposition to abortion, Smith is known for crossing the aisle on issues and hopes that the practice makes a comeback. He loathes \u201cdeceit, bickering, and mockery\u201d and regards personal attacks as \u201ctragic.\u201d All are far too common in D.C., Smith says. \u201cIt is a bipartisan, bicameral process here, and if you can find common ground, you ought to,\u201d he says. People with opposing views \u201care not the enemy,\u201d he says, and \u201cWe need to reclaim that, for the sake of our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kari Osmond \u201909<\/strong>
\nChief of staff, U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman<\/em><\/h3>\nKari Osmond groans, recalling a <\/span>moment from her time at TCNJ. She was \u201cobnoxiously\u201d challenging the grade she\u2019d gotten in a political science class when the teacher, Reed Gusciora, made her an offer.<\/p>\n\u201cHe says, \u2018you have so much to say: Would you want to take an internship with me?\u2019\u201d she says. Until that moment, Osmond was unaware that Gusciora was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly at the time.<\/p>\n
Working in Gusciora\u2019s office she was \u201chooked immediately\u201d on public service, she says. \u201cI thought, \u2018this is how you make a difference. This is how people\u2019s lives are changed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Osmond stayed on after graduation, rising to become Gusciora\u2019s chief of staff before going to work for Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, whom she now serves in the same capacity in Washington, D.C. When Osmond wed her wife in 2018, it was possible in part because of gay marriage legislation she had worked on with Gusciora, who\u2019s now the mayor of Trenton. Both he and Watson Coleman officiated the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Working on the Hill in today\u2019s \u201ccrazy partisan\u201d atmosphere is \u201ca battle,\u201d Osmond acknowledges, but her idealism is undimmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that we have to use violent terminology to describe politics and government,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are some really knockdown, depressing days where you\u2019re like, this isn\u2019t worth it. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shirley Turner \u201964<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nGrowing up poor and Black, Shirley Turner had it drilled into her head by her parents, neither of whom had made it past the eighth grade: She was going to earn a high school diploma. But along the way, she would have to outperform her classmates.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of my race, I had to be twice as good,\u201d Turner recalls.<\/p>\n
By the time she graduated from Dover High School, Turner had played on the basketball, softball, hockey, and rifle teams, served in student government, and was senior class president.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was overly involved,\u201d she says, fueled by determination that powered her into and through Trenton State. There, as one of 19 Black students, \u201cwe all knew each other; we were like a support system.\u201d She held down two jobs en route to a degree in health and physical education: collecting dirty trays from the \u201cslop chute\u201d in the college\u2019s cafeteria and waitressing off campus on weekends.<\/p>\n
Across her more than five decades, the unmistakable through line of Turner\u2019s career has been education.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation is the great equalizer in this society,\u201d she says. \u201cHad I not had that opportunity, I never would have achieved middle-class status.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner worked for 44 years for Rider University as a counselor while serving as a Mercer County Commissioner, then a state assemblywoman, and for the past 24 years, a member of the state senate. Now vice-chair of the chamber\u2019s Education Committee, her record includes innumerable efforts to enhance schooling and skills training, end the pipeline to prison, and help the incarcerated stay out upon release by expanding their minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thrust ever since I was elected to office has been to provide those kinds of opportunities to everybody, no matter what their economic status or zip code, from K to 12 and beyond,\u201d she says. \u201cMy attitude is that if I can do it, anybody can do it if they have the same opportunities I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mark Freda \u201982<\/strong>
\nMayor, Princeton, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nAfter 13 years <\/span>on the Princeton council, Mark Freda stepped away from politics in 1999. With a job in New York City and two kids at home, it had become too much.<\/p>\nBut two decades later, Freda says he saw what he perceived to be \u201csome shortcomings in the way decisions were being made\u201d about emergency services. As a lifelong borough resident who\u2019d joined the fire department at age 18, that chafed him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018do I moan and groan, or do something about it?\u2019\u201d he says. With his kids grown and the commute a thing of the past, he ran again in 2020, this time for mayor, and won a four-year term.<\/p>\n
Bringing a fresh perspective on the relationship between municipal government and residents, Freda has embraced new levels of transparency, posting regularly on social media and hosting a podcast about local people and goings-on, shedding light on grassroots efforts to advance affordable housing, the arts, LGBTQ issues, and more.<\/p>\n
But still, there\u2019s nothing like the one-on-one connections he gets to experience with community members, he says, though adjustments may be needed for lengthy, unscheduled discussions. \u201cI\u2019ve learned when I\u2019m grocery shopping not to pick up anything perishable until the last minute,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause you never know what aisle you\u2019re going to get stopped in.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jean Stanfield \u201984<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nJean Stanfield was so shy that she dropped out of Trenton State College for a semester rather than fulfill a public speaking requirement for graduation.<\/p>\n
Though she was already married and a mother twice over, \u201cI remember being terrified,\u201d she says. She returned when the requirement was changed to allow group discussion because \u201cI was better at talking in small groups,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is reticent no more. You don\u2019t serve 18 years as Burlington County sheriff, win election to the state assembly, and then move up to the state Senate, as she did earlier this year, as a mouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I got over my public speaking issues,\u201d Stanfield says. \u201cI\u2019ll never be the kind of person who loves being up at the podium, but I do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A daughter of educators who met as students at Trenton State, Stanfield absorbed the lesson at the kitchen table that \u201cyou do what you can to serve,\u201d she says. And throughout her career, as a mother of biracial children, she has been a champion of civil rights in areas of employment and criminal justice.<\/p>\n
Still, when George Floyd was killed in 2020, Stanfield found, after some self-reflection and \u201cseveral long talks with my son,\u201d that she had not been using her voice as fully as possible. And she publicly owned up to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to confront a very uncomfortable reality about myself,\u201d she wrote in an op-ed. \u201cI totally dropped the ball and did not do the most important thing I could do, which was to speak out loudly and clearly, each and every time, I heard someone make a statement that showed their implicit bias.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pledged \u201cto speak up, because when people believe these things and their thoughts go unquestioned, they accumulate over time and lead to a feeling of superiority and entitlement,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is also a co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee environmental rights for all, in recognition of the reality that \u201cparticularly in urban areas and lower-income areas, people don\u2019t always have the same quality of air and water that we have in other areas of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose issues are important to me, that everybody has opportunities, everybody gets treated the same,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Verlina Reynolds-Jackson \u201994
\n<\/strong>New Jersey General Assembly<\/em><\/h3>\nA \u201csuper-auntie,\u201d Verlina <\/span>Reynolds-Jackson was early in her career as a social worker in her home city of Trenton when she temporarily became a foster parent to the children of relatives suffering from mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\u201cI was single one day and the single parent of four the next day,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the kids was being bullied and was afraid to make the short walk home from school. After school arrangements and other services were needed for all four. To top things off, Reynolds-Jackson\u2019s car broke down, and she found herself \u201cwith a 3-year-old on my hip, waiting for a bus, trying to make these calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was fortunate, she says, that she knew how to navigate bureaucracies, \u201cbut it kept gnawing at me\u201d that not every parent in a similar situation would know who to call, let alone have the time to be persistent while trying to create a loving atmosphere. The lack of advocacy at the local level fueled her passion to be a public servant and in 2010 she was elected to Trenton\u2019s East Ward seat.<\/p>\n
Seven years later, she successfully ran for state assembly, taking the District 15 seat previously held by fellow TCNJ alumna and state senator Shirley K. Turner \u201964, whom she calls \u201ca great mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was never in my plan. I was a social worker just trying to help people,\u201d Reynolds-Jackson says. Now, she views herself as a \u201cconnector to opportunity\u201d between residents and government resources, aided by another TCNJ alum, her chief of staff, Ed Gittens \u201985.<\/p>\n
And from her office on West State Street, she says proudly, \u201cI can see the back door of my mother\u2019s house. It reminds me every day to never forget,\u201d she says, \u201cthat to whom much is given, much is required.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Freddie Hayeck \u201922
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Watchung Borough, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nIdly poking around his school <\/span>district\u2019s website while procrastinating on his homework one night his senior year of high school, Freddie Hayeck learned of an upcoming election for an open school board seat. So he decided to run for it, and won, just days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever electee in New Jersey history.<\/p>\nBut it wasn\u2019t as impulsive as that. In fact, Hayeck appears lab-designed for involvement. As an Eagle Scout, he\u2019d participated in American Legion Boys State, and was president of his class at the time of his election. He also was, and still is, a volunteer firefighter and first aid squad member.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as my personal brand, I would say that service has always\u00a0been a part of my life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
In early spring 2022, Hayeck was wrapping up his studies as a business administration major, completing his 300-hour commitment to AmeriCorps, working full time at a Trenton lobbying firm, responding to fire alarms and accident calls, and attending meetings of the Watchung Borough council, to which he was elected in 2020. Did we mention that?<\/p>\n
Hayeck admits there was a moment when he was tempted \u201cto just stop being involved in or follow politics\u201d because of the rancor at the national level. But he says he instead felt even more drawn to local government because of its ability to actually solve problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about where to put a recycled book drop-off, or what type of trees we\u2019re going to plant, or looking for grant monies to help address environmental issues, that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re just talking about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Katie Nestor Comanto \u201912<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey deputy secretary of higher education<\/em><\/h3>\nSince her first semester at <\/span>TCNJ, Katie Comanto\u2019s life journey has included a number of course corrections.<\/p>\nPicturing a career in medicine, she began as a science major, an idea that lasted \u201cabout 12 weeks,\u201d she says. So she switched her major to psychology. But by senior year, she had drifted toward law, having decided to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps. And after earning her JD from Seton Hall Law, she landed a job with a firm with a niche specialty: representing school boards.<\/p>\n
None of it was expected \u2014 least of all, her two most recent twists: getting tapped to serve as Counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on education law in the \u201chavoc\u201d of the pandemic, and, since early this year, her current job as New Jersey\u2019s deputy secretary of higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an undergrad, I would have never predicted I\u2019d be in this role today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy working hours are now spent directly impacting the lives of people across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her contemporaries might recognize her as Katie Nestor, who won a NCAA designation as an All-American cross-country and track-and-field athlete. As a \u201cproud product of New Jersey schools,\u201d Comanto still works out problems while running, now focused on somewhat arcane issues, such as licenses for colleges and universities seeking to expand. But always in the background, she says, is an awareness that \u201chigher education is so determinative about where your life can go.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lynn Azarchi \u201998
\n<\/strong>Acting director of the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget<\/em><\/h3>\nBorn to serve:<\/strong> Been in OMB <\/span>for 22 years.<\/p>\nGood trouble: <\/span><\/strong>During the pandemic, when so many people lost jobs and were living in fear, having their lives turned upside down, I was proud to be a part of New Jersey\u2019s recovery effort directing a budget that helped those most in need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Marita Sciarrotta \u201989<\/strong>
\nDeputy director, New Jersey Division of Taxation<\/em><\/h3>\nPaying her dues:<\/strong> Money we collect <\/span>helps to pay for lights on our streets, incubators in neonatal clinics, parks and recreational areas, housing, and education.<\/p>\nPart of the whole:<\/strong> Government is a <\/span>behemoth institution. But it\u2019s the people, the individuals, the public servants, that are it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Adriana Yunes \u201922<\/strong>
\nOutreach aide for Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer<\/em><\/h3>\nWhy she serves:<\/strong> I grew up in <\/span>Newark, where education is disproportionately funded compared to other New Jersey districts. I want to help communities where people face significant obstacles.<\/p>\nTaking cues:<\/strong> <\/span>I learned from Assemblywoman Jaffer the importance of having diverse voices in these spaces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Daniel Hurley \u201919
\n<\/strong>Intern, U.S. Department of State<\/em><\/h3>\nGood day on the Hill:<\/strong> Prepared <\/span>materials for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use in a meeting.<\/p>\nBriefing room:<\/strong> <\/span>People have the power to change what they do not like about government. Skepticism should fuel engagement with government, not disengagement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Madina Ouedraogo \u201918<\/strong>
\nPolicy coordinator for the Office of Governor Phil Murphy<\/em><\/h3>\nHer causes:<\/strong> <\/span>Gender equity and racial justice.<\/p>\nHer reason: <\/span><\/strong>To progress policy reforms to help marginalized communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Al Ribeiro \u201902
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Bernardsville, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nKey issues: <\/span><\/strong>Revitalizing downtown and upgrading infrastructure and emergency preparedness.<\/p>\nAlso seen around town:<\/strong> Worked on <\/span>John McCain\u2019s presidential campaign.<\/p>\nStump speech:<\/strong> Focus on the <\/span>community immediately around you. It will restore your faith in the positive impact that leadership can have.<\/p>\nPictures: Bill Cardoni\/Mike Morgan\/Peter Murphy
\nHeader image: Mihai Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s daunting to talk politics these days. But some alumni who are working in local, state, and federal roles remind us why we need not be discouraged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":11933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11909"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11959,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions\/11959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cHe says, \u2018you have so much to say: Would you want to take an internship with me?\u2019\u201d she says. Until that moment, Osmond was unaware that Gusciora was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly at the time.<\/p>\n
Working in Gusciora\u2019s office she was \u201chooked immediately\u201d on public service, she says. \u201cI thought, \u2018this is how you make a difference. This is how people\u2019s lives are changed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Osmond stayed on after graduation, rising to become Gusciora\u2019s chief of staff before going to work for Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, whom she now serves in the same capacity in Washington, D.C. When Osmond wed her wife in 2018, it was possible in part because of gay marriage legislation she had worked on with Gusciora, who\u2019s now the mayor of Trenton. Both he and Watson Coleman officiated the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Working on the Hill in today\u2019s \u201ccrazy partisan\u201d atmosphere is \u201ca battle,\u201d Osmond acknowledges, but her idealism is undimmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that we have to use violent terminology to describe politics and government,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are some really knockdown, depressing days where you\u2019re like, this isn\u2019t worth it. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shirley Turner \u201964<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nGrowing up poor and Black, Shirley Turner had it drilled into her head by her parents, neither of whom had made it past the eighth grade: She was going to earn a high school diploma. But along the way, she would have to outperform her classmates.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of my race, I had to be twice as good,\u201d Turner recalls.<\/p>\n
By the time she graduated from Dover High School, Turner had played on the basketball, softball, hockey, and rifle teams, served in student government, and was senior class president.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was overly involved,\u201d she says, fueled by determination that powered her into and through Trenton State. There, as one of 19 Black students, \u201cwe all knew each other; we were like a support system.\u201d She held down two jobs en route to a degree in health and physical education: collecting dirty trays from the \u201cslop chute\u201d in the college\u2019s cafeteria and waitressing off campus on weekends.<\/p>\n
Across her more than five decades, the unmistakable through line of Turner\u2019s career has been education.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation is the great equalizer in this society,\u201d she says. \u201cHad I not had that opportunity, I never would have achieved middle-class status.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner worked for 44 years for Rider University as a counselor while serving as a Mercer County Commissioner, then a state assemblywoman, and for the past 24 years, a member of the state senate. Now vice-chair of the chamber\u2019s Education Committee, her record includes innumerable efforts to enhance schooling and skills training, end the pipeline to prison, and help the incarcerated stay out upon release by expanding their minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thrust ever since I was elected to office has been to provide those kinds of opportunities to everybody, no matter what their economic status or zip code, from K to 12 and beyond,\u201d she says. \u201cMy attitude is that if I can do it, anybody can do it if they have the same opportunities I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mark Freda \u201982<\/strong>
\nMayor, Princeton, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nAfter 13 years <\/span>on the Princeton council, Mark Freda stepped away from politics in 1999. With a job in New York City and two kids at home, it had become too much.<\/p>\nBut two decades later, Freda says he saw what he perceived to be \u201csome shortcomings in the way decisions were being made\u201d about emergency services. As a lifelong borough resident who\u2019d joined the fire department at age 18, that chafed him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018do I moan and groan, or do something about it?\u2019\u201d he says. With his kids grown and the commute a thing of the past, he ran again in 2020, this time for mayor, and won a four-year term.<\/p>\n
Bringing a fresh perspective on the relationship between municipal government and residents, Freda has embraced new levels of transparency, posting regularly on social media and hosting a podcast about local people and goings-on, shedding light on grassroots efforts to advance affordable housing, the arts, LGBTQ issues, and more.<\/p>\n
But still, there\u2019s nothing like the one-on-one connections he gets to experience with community members, he says, though adjustments may be needed for lengthy, unscheduled discussions. \u201cI\u2019ve learned when I\u2019m grocery shopping not to pick up anything perishable until the last minute,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause you never know what aisle you\u2019re going to get stopped in.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jean Stanfield \u201984<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nJean Stanfield was so shy that she dropped out of Trenton State College for a semester rather than fulfill a public speaking requirement for graduation.<\/p>\n
Though she was already married and a mother twice over, \u201cI remember being terrified,\u201d she says. She returned when the requirement was changed to allow group discussion because \u201cI was better at talking in small groups,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is reticent no more. You don\u2019t serve 18 years as Burlington County sheriff, win election to the state assembly, and then move up to the state Senate, as she did earlier this year, as a mouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I got over my public speaking issues,\u201d Stanfield says. \u201cI\u2019ll never be the kind of person who loves being up at the podium, but I do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A daughter of educators who met as students at Trenton State, Stanfield absorbed the lesson at the kitchen table that \u201cyou do what you can to serve,\u201d she says. And throughout her career, as a mother of biracial children, she has been a champion of civil rights in areas of employment and criminal justice.<\/p>\n
Still, when George Floyd was killed in 2020, Stanfield found, after some self-reflection and \u201cseveral long talks with my son,\u201d that she had not been using her voice as fully as possible. And she publicly owned up to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to confront a very uncomfortable reality about myself,\u201d she wrote in an op-ed. \u201cI totally dropped the ball and did not do the most important thing I could do, which was to speak out loudly and clearly, each and every time, I heard someone make a statement that showed their implicit bias.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pledged \u201cto speak up, because when people believe these things and their thoughts go unquestioned, they accumulate over time and lead to a feeling of superiority and entitlement,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Stanfield is also a co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee environmental rights for all, in recognition of the reality that \u201cparticularly in urban areas and lower-income areas, people don\u2019t always have the same quality of air and water that we have in other areas of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose issues are important to me, that everybody has opportunities, everybody gets treated the same,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Verlina Reynolds-Jackson \u201994
\n<\/strong>New Jersey General Assembly<\/em><\/h3>\nA \u201csuper-auntie,\u201d Verlina <\/span>Reynolds-Jackson was early in her career as a social worker in her home city of Trenton when she temporarily became a foster parent to the children of relatives suffering from mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\u201cI was single one day and the single parent of four the next day,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the kids was being bullied and was afraid to make the short walk home from school. After school arrangements and other services were needed for all four. To top things off, Reynolds-Jackson\u2019s car broke down, and she found herself \u201cwith a 3-year-old on my hip, waiting for a bus, trying to make these calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was fortunate, she says, that she knew how to navigate bureaucracies, \u201cbut it kept gnawing at me\u201d that not every parent in a similar situation would know who to call, let alone have the time to be persistent while trying to create a loving atmosphere. The lack of advocacy at the local level fueled her passion to be a public servant and in 2010 she was elected to Trenton\u2019s East Ward seat.<\/p>\n
Seven years later, she successfully ran for state assembly, taking the District 15 seat previously held by fellow TCNJ alumna and state senator Shirley K. Turner \u201964, whom she calls \u201ca great mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was never in my plan. I was a social worker just trying to help people,\u201d Reynolds-Jackson says. Now, she views herself as a \u201cconnector to opportunity\u201d between residents and government resources, aided by another TCNJ alum, her chief of staff, Ed Gittens \u201985.<\/p>\n
And from her office on West State Street, she says proudly, \u201cI can see the back door of my mother\u2019s house. It reminds me every day to never forget,\u201d she says, \u201cthat to whom much is given, much is required.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Freddie Hayeck \u201922
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Watchung Borough, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nIdly poking around his school <\/span>district\u2019s website while procrastinating on his homework one night his senior year of high school, Freddie Hayeck learned of an upcoming election for an open school board seat. So he decided to run for it, and won, just days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever electee in New Jersey history.<\/p>\nBut it wasn\u2019t as impulsive as that. In fact, Hayeck appears lab-designed for involvement. As an Eagle Scout, he\u2019d participated in American Legion Boys State, and was president of his class at the time of his election. He also was, and still is, a volunteer firefighter and first aid squad member.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as my personal brand, I would say that service has always\u00a0been a part of my life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
In early spring 2022, Hayeck was wrapping up his studies as a business administration major, completing his 300-hour commitment to AmeriCorps, working full time at a Trenton lobbying firm, responding to fire alarms and accident calls, and attending meetings of the Watchung Borough council, to which he was elected in 2020. Did we mention that?<\/p>\n
Hayeck admits there was a moment when he was tempted \u201cto just stop being involved in or follow politics\u201d because of the rancor at the national level. But he says he instead felt even more drawn to local government because of its ability to actually solve problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about where to put a recycled book drop-off, or what type of trees we\u2019re going to plant, or looking for grant monies to help address environmental issues, that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re just talking about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Katie Nestor Comanto \u201912<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey deputy secretary of higher education<\/em><\/h3>\nSince her first semester at <\/span>TCNJ, Katie Comanto\u2019s life journey has included a number of course corrections.<\/p>\nPicturing a career in medicine, she began as a science major, an idea that lasted \u201cabout 12 weeks,\u201d she says. So she switched her major to psychology. But by senior year, she had drifted toward law, having decided to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps. And after earning her JD from Seton Hall Law, she landed a job with a firm with a niche specialty: representing school boards.<\/p>\n
None of it was expected \u2014 least of all, her two most recent twists: getting tapped to serve as Counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on education law in the \u201chavoc\u201d of the pandemic, and, since early this year, her current job as New Jersey\u2019s deputy secretary of higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an undergrad, I would have never predicted I\u2019d be in this role today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy working hours are now spent directly impacting the lives of people across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her contemporaries might recognize her as Katie Nestor, who won a NCAA designation as an All-American cross-country and track-and-field athlete. As a \u201cproud product of New Jersey schools,\u201d Comanto still works out problems while running, now focused on somewhat arcane issues, such as licenses for colleges and universities seeking to expand. But always in the background, she says, is an awareness that \u201chigher education is so determinative about where your life can go.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lynn Azarchi \u201998
\n<\/strong>Acting director of the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget<\/em><\/h3>\nBorn to serve:<\/strong> Been in OMB <\/span>for 22 years.<\/p>\nGood trouble: <\/span><\/strong>During the pandemic, when so many people lost jobs and were living in fear, having their lives turned upside down, I was proud to be a part of New Jersey\u2019s recovery effort directing a budget that helped those most in need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Marita Sciarrotta \u201989<\/strong>
\nDeputy director, New Jersey Division of Taxation<\/em><\/h3>\nPaying her dues:<\/strong> Money we collect <\/span>helps to pay for lights on our streets, incubators in neonatal clinics, parks and recreational areas, housing, and education.<\/p>\nPart of the whole:<\/strong> Government is a <\/span>behemoth institution. But it\u2019s the people, the individuals, the public servants, that are it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Adriana Yunes \u201922<\/strong>
\nOutreach aide for Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer<\/em><\/h3>\nWhy she serves:<\/strong> I grew up in <\/span>Newark, where education is disproportionately funded compared to other New Jersey districts. I want to help communities where people face significant obstacles.<\/p>\nTaking cues:<\/strong> <\/span>I learned from Assemblywoman Jaffer the importance of having diverse voices in these spaces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Daniel Hurley \u201919
\n<\/strong>Intern, U.S. Department of State<\/em><\/h3>\nGood day on the Hill:<\/strong> Prepared <\/span>materials for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use in a meeting.<\/p>\nBriefing room:<\/strong> <\/span>People have the power to change what they do not like about government. Skepticism should fuel engagement with government, not disengagement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Madina Ouedraogo \u201918<\/strong>
\nPolicy coordinator for the Office of Governor Phil Murphy<\/em><\/h3>\nHer causes:<\/strong> <\/span>Gender equity and racial justice.<\/p>\nHer reason: <\/span><\/strong>To progress policy reforms to help marginalized communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Al Ribeiro \u201902
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Bernardsville, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nKey issues: <\/span><\/strong>Revitalizing downtown and upgrading infrastructure and emergency preparedness.<\/p>\nAlso seen around town:<\/strong> Worked on <\/span>John McCain\u2019s presidential campaign.<\/p>\nStump speech:<\/strong> Focus on the <\/span>community immediately around you. It will restore your faith in the positive impact that leadership can have.<\/p>\nPictures: Bill Cardoni\/Mike Morgan\/Peter Murphy
\nHeader image: Mihai Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s daunting to talk politics these days. But some alumni who are working in local, state, and federal roles remind us why we need not be discouraged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":11933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11909"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11959,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions\/11959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Mark Freda \u201982<\/strong>\nMayor, Princeton, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\n
After 13 years <\/span>on the Princeton council, Mark Freda stepped away from politics in 1999. With a job in New York City and two kids at home, it had become too much.<\/p>\n But two decades later, Freda says he saw what he perceived to be \u201csome shortcomings in the way decisions were being made\u201d about emergency services. As a lifelong borough resident who\u2019d joined the fire department at age 18, that chafed him.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, \u2018do I moan and groan, or do something about it?\u2019\u201d he says. With his kids grown and the commute a thing of the past, he ran again in 2020, this time for mayor, and won a four-year term.<\/p>\n Bringing a fresh perspective on the relationship between municipal government and residents, Freda has embraced new levels of transparency, posting regularly on social media and hosting a podcast about local people and goings-on, shedding light on grassroots efforts to advance affordable housing, the arts, LGBTQ issues, and more.<\/p>\n But still, there\u2019s nothing like the one-on-one connections he gets to experience with community members, he says, though adjustments may be needed for lengthy, unscheduled discussions. \u201cI\u2019ve learned when I\u2019m grocery shopping not to pick up anything perishable until the last minute,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause you never know what aisle you\u2019re going to get stopped in.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jean Stanfield was so shy that she dropped out of Trenton State College for a semester rather than fulfill a public speaking requirement for graduation.<\/p>\n Though she was already married and a mother twice over, \u201cI remember being terrified,\u201d she says. She returned when the requirement was changed to allow group discussion because \u201cI was better at talking in small groups,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Stanfield is reticent no more. You don\u2019t serve 18 years as Burlington County sheriff, win election to the state assembly, and then move up to the state Senate, as she did earlier this year, as a mouse.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, I got over my public speaking issues,\u201d Stanfield says. \u201cI\u2019ll never be the kind of person who loves being up at the podium, but I do it.\u201d<\/p>\n A daughter of educators who met as students at Trenton State, Stanfield absorbed the lesson at the kitchen table that \u201cyou do what you can to serve,\u201d she says. And throughout her career, as a mother of biracial children, she has been a champion of civil rights in areas of employment and criminal justice.<\/p>\n Still, when George Floyd was killed in 2020, Stanfield found, after some self-reflection and \u201cseveral long talks with my son,\u201d that she had not been using her voice as fully as possible. And she publicly owned up to it.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to confront a very uncomfortable reality about myself,\u201d she wrote in an op-ed. \u201cI totally dropped the ball and did not do the most important thing I could do, which was to speak out loudly and clearly, each and every time, I heard someone make a statement that showed their implicit bias.\u201d<\/p>\n She pledged \u201cto speak up, because when people believe these things and their thoughts go unquestioned, they accumulate over time and lead to a feeling of superiority and entitlement,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n Stanfield is also a co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee environmental rights for all, in recognition of the reality that \u201cparticularly in urban areas and lower-income areas, people don\u2019t always have the same quality of air and water that we have in other areas of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose issues are important to me, that everybody has opportunities, everybody gets treated the same,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A \u201csuper-auntie,\u201d Verlina <\/span>Reynolds-Jackson was early in her career as a social worker in her home city of Trenton when she temporarily became a foster parent to the children of relatives suffering from mental health challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cI was single one day and the single parent of four the next day,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the kids was being bullied and was afraid to make the short walk home from school. After school arrangements and other services were needed for all four. To top things off, Reynolds-Jackson\u2019s car broke down, and she found herself \u201cwith a 3-year-old on my hip, waiting for a bus, trying to make these calls.\u201d<\/p>\n She was fortunate, she says, that she knew how to navigate bureaucracies, \u201cbut it kept gnawing at me\u201d that not every parent in a similar situation would know who to call, let alone have the time to be persistent while trying to create a loving atmosphere. The lack of advocacy at the local level fueled her passion to be a public servant and in 2010 she was elected to Trenton\u2019s East Ward seat.<\/p>\n Seven years later, she successfully ran for state assembly, taking the District 15 seat previously held by fellow TCNJ alumna and state senator Shirley K. Turner \u201964, whom she calls \u201ca great mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis was never in my plan. I was a social worker just trying to help people,\u201d Reynolds-Jackson says. Now, she views herself as a \u201cconnector to opportunity\u201d between residents and government resources, aided by another TCNJ alum, her chief of staff, Ed Gittens \u201985.<\/p>\n And from her office on West State Street, she says proudly, \u201cI can see the back door of my mother\u2019s house. It reminds me every day to never forget,\u201d she says, \u201cthat to whom much is given, much is required.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Idly poking around his school <\/span>district\u2019s website while procrastinating on his homework one night his senior year of high school, Freddie Hayeck learned of an upcoming election for an open school board seat. So he decided to run for it, and won, just days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever electee in New Jersey history.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t as impulsive as that. In fact, Hayeck appears lab-designed for involvement. As an Eagle Scout, he\u2019d participated in American Legion Boys State, and was president of his class at the time of his election. He also was, and still is, a volunteer firefighter and first aid squad member.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as my personal brand, I would say that service has always\u00a0been a part of my life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n In early spring 2022, Hayeck was wrapping up his studies as a business administration major, completing his 300-hour commitment to AmeriCorps, working full time at a Trenton lobbying firm, responding to fire alarms and accident calls, and attending meetings of the Watchung Borough council, to which he was elected in 2020. Did we mention that?<\/p>\n Hayeck admits there was a moment when he was tempted \u201cto just stop being involved in or follow politics\u201d because of the rancor at the national level. But he says he instead felt even more drawn to local government because of its ability to actually solve problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about where to put a recycled book drop-off, or what type of trees we\u2019re going to plant, or looking for grant monies to help address environmental issues, that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re just talking about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since her first semester at <\/span>TCNJ, Katie Comanto\u2019s life journey has included a number of course corrections.<\/p>\n Picturing a career in medicine, she began as a science major, an idea that lasted \u201cabout 12 weeks,\u201d she says. So she switched her major to psychology. But by senior year, she had drifted toward law, having decided to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps. And after earning her JD from Seton Hall Law, she landed a job with a firm with a niche specialty: representing school boards.<\/p>\n None of it was expected \u2014 least of all, her two most recent twists: getting tapped to serve as Counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on education law in the \u201chavoc\u201d of the pandemic, and, since early this year, her current job as New Jersey\u2019s deputy secretary of higher education.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an undergrad, I would have never predicted I\u2019d be in this role today,\u201d she says. \u201cMy working hours are now spent directly impacting the lives of people across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Her contemporaries might recognize her as Katie Nestor, who won a NCAA designation as an All-American cross-country and track-and-field athlete. As a \u201cproud product of New Jersey schools,\u201d Comanto still works out problems while running, now focused on somewhat arcane issues, such as licenses for colleges and universities seeking to expand. But always in the background, she says, is an awareness that \u201chigher education is so determinative about where your life can go.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Born to serve:<\/strong> Been in OMB <\/span>for 22 years.<\/p>\n Good trouble: <\/span><\/strong>During the pandemic, when so many people lost jobs and were living in fear, having their lives turned upside down, I was proud to be a part of New Jersey\u2019s recovery effort directing a budget that helped those most in need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paying her dues:<\/strong> Money we collect <\/span>helps to pay for lights on our streets, incubators in neonatal clinics, parks and recreational areas, housing, and education.<\/p>\n Part of the whole:<\/strong> Government is a <\/span>behemoth institution. But it\u2019s the people, the individuals, the public servants, that are it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why she serves:<\/strong> I grew up in <\/span>Newark, where education is disproportionately funded compared to other New Jersey districts. I want to help communities where people face significant obstacles.<\/p>\n Taking cues:<\/strong> <\/span>I learned from Assemblywoman Jaffer the importance of having diverse voices in these spaces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Good day on the Hill:<\/strong> Prepared <\/span>materials for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use in a meeting.<\/p>\n Briefing room:<\/strong> <\/span>People have the power to change what they do not like about government. Skepticism should fuel engagement with government, not disengagement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her causes:<\/strong> <\/span>Gender equity and racial justice.<\/p>\n Her reason: <\/span><\/strong>To progress policy reforms to help marginalized communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Key issues: <\/span><\/strong>Revitalizing downtown and upgrading infrastructure and emergency preparedness.<\/p>\n Also seen around town:<\/strong> Worked on <\/span>John McCain\u2019s presidential campaign.<\/p>\n Stump speech:<\/strong> Focus on the <\/span>community immediately around you. It will restore your faith in the positive impact that leadership can have.<\/p>\n Pictures: Bill Cardoni\/Mike Morgan\/Peter Murphy It\u2019s daunting to talk politics these days. But some alumni who are working in local, state, and federal roles remind us why we need not be discouraged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":11933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11909"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11959,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11909\/revisions\/11959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Jean Stanfield \u201984<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Senate<\/em><\/h3>\nVerlina Reynolds-Jackson \u201994
\n<\/strong>New Jersey General Assembly<\/em><\/h3>\nFreddie Hayeck \u201922
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Watchung Borough, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\nKatie Nestor Comanto \u201912<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey deputy secretary of higher education<\/em><\/h3>\nLynn Azarchi \u201998
\n<\/strong>Acting director of the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget<\/em><\/h3>\nMarita Sciarrotta \u201989<\/strong>
\nDeputy director, New Jersey Division of Taxation<\/em><\/h3>\nAdriana Yunes \u201922<\/strong>
\nOutreach aide for Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer<\/em><\/h3>\nDaniel Hurley \u201919
\n<\/strong>Intern, U.S. Department of State<\/em><\/h3>\nMadina Ouedraogo \u201918<\/strong>
\nPolicy coordinator for the Office of Governor Phil Murphy<\/em><\/h3>\nAl Ribeiro \u201902
\n<\/strong>Councilman, Bernardsville, New Jersey<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nHeader image: Mihai Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"