At 10 years old, María Fernández didn’t know what a lawyer was, but what she did know was that she didn’t want to go through the abusive situation which her family went through again.
His father, who came from Spain, was a car mechanic, and once his car was stolen from the street where the family lived in the Bronx. When he went to ask for payment from the insurance, they told him that all the papers were not in order and the insurance company refused to compensate him.
Someone told him that there was a lawyer connected to the church the family attended who could help him. His father looked for him and he paid to take the case but nothing happened. Apparently, the lawyer was in agreement with the insurance company.
“From that moment I decided that I would never again be in a situation where I did not understand my rights, the rights of my family and the rights of others,” said María. “At 10 years old I didn’t know what a lawyer was, but I wanted to be a lawyer.
Maria achieved it. But not only did he study law, he received a doctorate from the prestigious Cornell University law school.
After working for 18 years at IBM and other corporations, ten months ago she was appointed Assistant Secretary of Education in the New York Governor’s Office.
Her responsibilities include leading the advancement of the governor’s K-12 education agenda, overseeing project management, budgeting and communications for New York State educational institutions. He is also responsible for managing spending for the second largest budget in the state.
This is the first time that a Latina has held this position.
“I think I got here because education has been very important throughout my life,” he said. “My mom got her GED [diploma de educación general] “When I was about 16, we went to school together for a year.”
What motivates her is knowing that in New York, even though more is spent on students than in other states, there are still children who don’t know how to read, who don’t knowledge of mathematics, which does not graduate.
“Those problems are still there,” he said. “And I want to be part of the solution because for me the concept of equity is something very important.”
2024-04-21 12:00:00
#Featured #Women #Maria #Fernandez #Daily
