RISING STARS
RITCHIE TORRES DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR CITY COUNCIL, 15TH DISTRICT AGE: 25
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or many grad students, earning a master’s degree while being an adjunct professor would take up all of their time. But for Kafui Kouakou, who is earning his master’s at Brooklyn College and teaching at York College, there’s still enough time for him to serve in the CUNY Student Senate, advocating for students on everything from building repairs to appealing student dismissals. Not only that, he’s the chair of the Senate. “One of the things I’ve done is—the Senate has a scholarship fund, and four or five years before I took office two years ago, the money was not given to students at CUNY,” he said. “We reactivated that
STINA SKEWES-COX DISTRICT DIRECTOR, REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES AGE: 31
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OCTOBER 7, 2013 | cityandstateny.com
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t’s not often that a high school principal goes out of his way to recommend a student to a local official. That’s just what happened to a then-16-year old Ritchie Torres, when a local Community Board district manager named Jimmy Vacca arrived at the largest of his district’s public schools, Lehman High School and asked the principal for the best and brightest of his students. “The principal said ‘Ritchie Torres.’ I met Council member Vacca, I was serving as his district manager for a day and I left an impression; then I went on to work on his campaign and went on to his New York City Council office, and have had a role ever since.” Having learned the tricks of the trade from now Councilman Vacca, Torres set out to make a name for himself as
the youngest candidate in a crowded race to replace term-limited Councilman Joel Rivera that included several candidates propped up by prominent Bronx officials such as state Sen. Rev. Rubén Díaz, as well as the so-called “Rivera dynasty” led by Rivera and his father, José, an assemblyman. Nonetheless, it was Torres’ message that resonated in the district, undoubtedly helped by his compelling personal narrative, including his being raised in public housing. Now, on the verge of becoming the Council’s youngest incoming member, Torres hopes his age can be more than just a milestone: His eye is set on becoming a role model for struggling young people. “I see myself as an advocate for youth,” Torres said. “We have a crisis of disconnected youth in this society, you have hundreds of thousands of young
program, so we started giving scholarships again to the students at CUNY.” One scholarship category is for international students like Kouakou, who came to the United State from Togo, a West African nation. He arrived first in Alabama, but came to New York to live with an uncle while he continued his studies. “I always liked to advocate for students,” he said. “My goal is to complete my master’s, get in to a Ph.D. program, get my doctorate, and become a school administrator.”
team, and I’m the head coach for the women’s soccer team. So in addition to teaching at York, my passion is soccer. So teaching and coaching are what I’d be doing.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “I’ve been to Central Park a couple of times, and I went also to the Museum of Natural History, and those were places that impressed me a lot.” —JL
If you were not in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I feel passionate about education. That has [been true] all my life. In addition, I also coach at York for the men’s soccer
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tina SkewesCox has only been working for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries since the congressman was sworn in this January, but she brings to his office plenty of experience as a congressional staffer, having worked for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for six years before moving to New York City. “When I started, I was her scheduler, and then moved up to become special assistant,” said Skewes-Cox, a San Francisco native who spent most of her time in Pelosi’s district office in that city. “I started traveling with her and being her body person, and also became the office’s outreach manager, which was in essence the number two position under the district director. And then in
people on the streets who do not work or do not go to school, whose only existence is life on the streets.” If you weren’t working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “A lawyer, an appellate attorney of constitutional law.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Right here in the 15th District.” —NP
KAFUI KOUAKOU CHAIRPERSON OF THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT SENATE; BOARD MEMBER, CUNY; ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, YORK COLLEGE AGE: 33
D.C., I was her director of advance, so I did all of her national events.” Now in New York, where she has always wanted to live, Skewes-Cox is excited to be working for a rising star in the Democratic Party. While she has lived in D.C. off and on over the years, she is happier working away from the capital—especially in New York, with its many immigrants and diverse cultures. “The appeal of a district office is so fun because you’re actually interacting with constituents,” Skewes-Cox said. “In Washington, the ideas are so esoteric— and yes, you can be talking about food stamps or supporting the arts or whatever else it is that you’re passionate about, but it’s really connecting with people outside of it when you see the changes government can make and how you can help people.”
If you were not in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I would be working to pull those not normally in the process into the process, so I’d love to work with young girls and get them into leadership positions and training programs—and then the number of minorities, increasing that.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Brooklyn Bridge Park…and the promenade. I walk the whole thing once a week.” —JL