City University of New York School of Law
Which school did Catalina Cruz go to in Jan 2008?
Catalina Cruz Catalina Cruz ( born 1982/1983 ) is a Colombian-American attorney from the borough of Queens in New York City . A former undocumented immigrant ( DREAMer ) , Cruz has worked as an advocate for immigration rights , including as Director of New York Governor Andrew Cuomos 2016 Exploited Task Force . Cruz was elected as the Democratic candidate in the Fall 2018 election for the 39th district of the New York State Assembly , representing Corona , Elmhurst , and Jackson Heights , Queens . Early life and education . Cruz was born in Medellín , Colombia . In 1992 , when she was nine years old , Cruz and her mother came to the United States under a six month tourist visa . They remained in the U.S . and she was undocumented for over 10 years after her initial tourist visa expired . Cruz grew up in Brooklyn and Queens . She has five siblings , three of whom are U.S . citizens . Cruz became the first former undocumented immigrant who identifies as a DREAMer to be elected in New York state . ( Both Adriano Espaillat and Gabriela Rosa were former undocumented immigrants who served in the New York State legislature , but neither identifies as a DREAMer. ) She is also the first Colombian-American in the district , and only the third DREAMer to serve in an elected position in the United States . In 2001 , Cruz graduated from John Bowne High School in Flushing , Queens . In 2005 , Cruz received a bachelors degree with honors in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice . In 2009 , Cruz received a J.D . from the City University of New York School of Law . Career . After law school Cruz worked as a Volunteer Assistant Attorney General for the New York State Attorney General , Andrew Cuomo , where her case work included focusing on fraud related to immigration services and working on prosecution efforts . From 2009 to 2012 , Cruz was counsel at the Goddard Riverside SRO Law Project at the Goddard Riverside Community Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan . From 2012 to 2014 , Cruz was counsel to the Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs at the New York State Department of Labor . In 2014 , Cruz was counsel to the Immigration Committee for the New York City Council , where she worked to improve coverage of issue related to domestic worker trafficking . She worked on the Unaccompanied Minors Initiative and the IDNYC program . She also oversaw the Key to the City program . She was in this position until 2015 . From 2015 to 2017 , Cruz was the Director of the Office of the New York State Governor , Andrew Cuomo . During this time she was the Special Assistant for Labor & Workforce . She was also the Director of the Joint Task Force on Worker Exploitation and Employee Misclassification , also known as the Exploited Workers Task Force , a working as assistant counsel in Cuomos taskforce . In 2017 , Cruz became Chief of Staff for New York City Council Member , Julissa Ferreras-Copeland until Ferreras-Copeland made the decision not to seek re-election . New York Assembly . In February 2018 , Cruz announced her candidacy for Francisco Moyas vacated position on the New York State Assemblys Assembly District 39 . The Districts Democratic leadership instead unanimously selected Ari Espinal as the Democratic candidate in the April 2018 special election . Cruz then won the Democratic primary for District 39 on September 13 , 2018 , over Espinal , and won the seat on November 6 , 2018 . She had received campaign training from New American Leaders that she believes helped her ultimately fundraise nearly $200,000 to win the primary race . Personal life . Cruz identifies as a DREAMer under the unadopted DREAM Act that was introduced in 2001 , which addresses citizenship of children brought to the United States by their parents and living as undocumented citizens . Cruz married her high school boyfriend in 2003 , which allowed Cruz to get her green card in 2005 and become a U.S . citizen in 2009 . Cruz citizenship allowed her to sponsor her mothers citizenship . The marriage ended in divorce . Cruz is married to a New York Police Department police officer . She and her husband live in Jackson Heights , Queens . Cruz has said that the attorney who did her immigration papers inspired her to go to law school and become a lawyer . External links . - at New York State Assembly