Vanderbilt Posse Alum Elected to NY State Assembly, Represents South Bronx

Amanda Septimo, a Posse alumna of Vanderbilt University, is now serving in her first term as a member of the New York State Assembly. She represents the South Bronx in the state’s 84th Assembly District, continuing a lifelong commitment to activism and community leadership.

“I started to really appreciate the link between everyday problems in the South Bronx and their distinct connection to policy.”

Amanda grew up in the Bronx, first with her grandparents on the Grand Concourse while her mother attended SUNY Albany, and later in Hunts Point with her mother and sisters. When an unchallenging curriculum drove Amanda to act out in school, her family sent her to a small independent school in Westchester, where she thrived after an initial experience of culture shock.

While still a high school student, Amanda began working in her Bronx neighborhood with The Point Community Development Corporation in its teen activist program, A.C.T.I.O.N. She was eventually nominated by the organization for the Posse Scholarship.

“I was 12 when I started volunteering at the community center, and then started doing work with The Point when I was about 15,” she recalls. “And it was incredible, because I think it was when I first started to really appreciate the link between everyday problems in the South Bronx and their distinct connection to policy. I also started interning with Congressman Jose Serrano, who was my local congressman, at the time.”

Now in her first year in Albany, Amanda is eager to advocate for measures that will ease some of the hardships that have made it a difficult year for so many.

As a student at Vanderbilt, Amanda majored in political science, took Arabic classes, and interned with Legal Aid.

“My Posse cohort was amazing,” she says. “And the larger community was also wonderful. They accepted us in right away and kind of wrapped their arms around us.”

Amanda returned to the Bronx to work with Congressman Serrano as a community liaison before being promoted to district director at 23 years old. In the years since she worked for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, honing a longtime interest in education policy. In 2018, she launched a campaign to join the New York State Assembly. She lost the election but learned invaluable lessons. Two years later she ran again, and won.

Now in her first year in Albany, Amanda is eager to advocate for measures that will ease some of the hardships that have made it a difficult year for so many.

“I’m most proud of the state budget that we just passed,” she says. “New York has quite literally never seen a budget like this before, it meaningfully and deeply invests in communities. I think the pandemic just forced everything to the forefront in a way that people can’t look away from anymore.”

“I think the Posse network is incredible. Use your network.”

Amanda encourages anyone who is interested in holding public office to run. More than this, she encourages people to leave their comfort zones and get involved in their local communities. She recently endorsed another Posse alumnus, Trinity College graduate Adolfo Abreu, who is running for a New York City Council seat in the Bronx.

“Reach out,” Amanda says. “I think the Posse network is incredible. Use your network.”