Meet: Christina Vera
Christina Vera is a mother, community member, Femergy co-founder and alumna of Columbus City Schools - deeply rooted in service to her community.
Growing up with immigrant Puerto Rican parents, she saw how they struggled economically so when she hears kids calling school a safe haven, she understands firsthand the ways in which a classroom can be a second home for many students. Christina explains that she is incredibly grateful to all of the people who served her over her lifetime and she hopes to pay that forward by serving on the Columbus City Schools Board of Education.
Christina sees the disparities in physical aspects of Columbus City Schools, like buildings that lack proper air conditioning or pandemic safe spacing of seats, as well as academic setbacks like a lack of progressive education within schools as a problem she wants to fix. She wants more equity in the way that students are able to advocate for themselves— financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and more education about work in the trades.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only emphasized the existing disparities in the district. Christina empathizes with the families, teachers, and students who have had to deal with such a difficult transition without the necessary support and resources. She shares, “[I was] really seeing how many kids got left behind in the midst of this pandemic, especially those who didn’t have adequate technology, internet capabilities, families who don’t speak English and don’t understand how to troubleshoot,” she continues. “We had such a large amount of students who were missing last year virtually, and I don’t feel like our district did enough to meet those families where they were at.”
For Christina, goals as simple as air conditioning and adequate heating feel critical. She hopes to ensure that students have access to conditions that are conducive to a thriving learning environment. She also aims to evaluate the state of in-school facilities and wrap-around services— taking into account the climate and culture of individual schools within the district.
“I really don’t feel like our families are being thought about, our teachers are not really being thought about in that way. So for me, you know, just seeing the compounding effects of not putting students first, of not putting teachers first— has got me to a place where I’m activated in frustration,” Christina continues.
She believes that the right representation matters because there are specific life experiences that only certain people can truly speak to. She shares that it’s important that we’re intentional about the cultural dimensions that do exist in our communities - including truly diverse representation so that students can be seen, heard and inspired.
Ultimately, Christina says, “As a mom and a community servant, I see a lot of the disparities in our district firsthand. This issues have been there through generations, this is not a COVID-19 issue, this is not something new; this is something that has gone on for many years.”
Learn more about Christina by watching the replay of our livestream interview facilitated by Mikayla Lee of LEAD Ohio!
This candidate storytelling project is a collaborative campaign of Ohio Women’s Alliance Action Fund and LEAD Ohio working to uplift the voices of women of color around the state working to better their communities through electoral pathways. Ohio Women’s Alliance Action Fund and LEAD Ohio are nonpartisan 501c4 nonprofit organizations registered with the IRS. This storytelling project is an effort to uplift women candidates running across the state of Ohio regardless of political affiliation. We reserve the right to interview or not interview applicants based on their alignment with our policy platform and organizational values. Interviews and blog posts are not representative of an organizational endorsement. If you are interested in sharing your story, please submit this form.