State Senator from District 9 Cindy Nava joined the legislature this year with a host of firsts:
- The first member of her family to go to college;
- The first former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA) status to be appointed by the White House in the department of housing;
- And now, the first DACA recipient in the U.S. to be elected to a state senate seat.
In a recent interview in her new Roundhouse office, Senator Nava frequently used the word “ironic” when talking about the unlikelihood of her winding up in her new position.
At the same time, she seems uniquely prepared for the task ahead.
The daughter of a construction worker and housecleaner, Nava attended Santa Fe Community College before eventually earning two policy-related degrees at UNM.
She was a staff aid for Ben Ray Lujan when he was both a U.S. representative and senator, before working in the Biden administration for two years as a senior policy advisor in Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.
One of Nava’s two assignments in her first term is on the Senate Education Committee.
During our conversation, Nava articulated her philosophy for helping improve educational opportunities in New Mexico.
“I completely understand and know that we need to be more intentional about supporting students in need, low-income families and doing it through a culturally competent lens, ensuring that folks and the parents are getting information in a way that they can digest it, that they can understand it, and being mindful about how those communication efforts take place.”
In answer to a question about working through disagreements with other lawmakers, Nava said that her challenging path through life taught her the essentials of conflict resolution.
“Ensuring that they know that you carry yourselves with respect and that you have the ability to respect them. That's been all that I've ever done, and that's how I built relationships across the aisle.”
Nava will also serve on the Senate Health and Public Affairs committee and is cosponsoring three bills relating to behavioral health.