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Justin's Story
Hi! My name is Justin Edward Sanchez. I was born at what was known as Our Lady of Mercy Hospital on July 17th, 1991.
First, let me tell you about my family growing up. My Mom got pregnant with me as a senior at Mount Saint Ursula High School when she was only 17. So, when I was a little I spent a lot of time with my Grandmother, or Mama as I called her. She came to the Bronx from the Dominican Republic at the age of 16 with $30 to her name. Here, she met my Grandfather, who I know as Papa, a cab driver and a presser, from Puerto Rico. I watched as my grandparents worked hard to support their children while always giving back to the community. That was especially true with my grandmother. Some of my earliest memories are us together at church, at senior centers, at food pantries - always doing our little part in making our community a better place. ​
​When I was 6 months old, my Mom met the guy I know as Dad. Together, we grew up on Bruckner Boulevard. Overlooking the Bruckner is the view I associate the most with my childhood. I wish I could say I had an official childhood home, but like many Bronx families, we constantly moved which also meant that I would constantly be switching schools. That was a curse, but also a blessing. I got to experience public school, Catholic school, and private school. When I’m fighting for our students and our families, it’s because I know the difference between the kind of education the majority of our students are receiving and the one our students and our families deserve.
Building on all the community work with Mama, during high school, I got my first internship on a political campaign for a local State Senator. Then, my parents got divorced.We split time equally with our parents - one week with Mom, one week with Dad. Different houses, different apartments, different neighborhoods; it was constantly changing.
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During high school I was fortunate to receive a number of college acceptances, and would go on to spend three years studying at the University of Richmond. Due to financial reasons, I put my studies on pause for a few years. When I returned to school, I graduated as Valedictorian from the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies and earned my Masters of Public Administration from New York University.
My grandmother’s passing in January 2016, reignited my commitment to making my community, and the Bronx as a whole, a better place.
I got a job as a canvasser with the Working Families Party. I then earned promotions to become a Campaign Manager and then the Recruitment Director for the entire organization. Then, with what I had learned about running campaigns, I briefly ran for City Council, but never finished the campaign. I realized that while I knew a lot about how to run campaigns, did I truly know how to help people in need as their elected official? I set out to change that and I learned the ins and outs of how to help our community.​
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I was first hired as Constituent Liaison for a local Council Member. Less than a year later, after watching me fight outside organizations from getting contracts that were supposed to go to our local nonprofits, I was asked to join Team Ruben Diaz Jr. in Bronx Borough Hall.
After my tenure at the Bronx Borough President's office, I was asked to become Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez and then State Senator Nathalia Fernandez. In addition, I served as the Director of Latino Outreach for the New York State Democratic Party. As well, I have served as the VP of the Bronx Young Democrats, the Chair of the Hispanic and Latinx Caucus of the Young Democrats of America, the Chair of the LGBTQ+ Caucus of the Young Democrats of America, and the President of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC.
Now, with everything that I have learned from growing up, from school, and from work, I’m ready to lead us in building a cleaner, safer, stronger, and more affordable community – and be able to hit the ground running on Day 1
