Dinowitz visits IN-Tech

It came as a surprise to students at IN-Tech Academy (M.S./H.S. 368) to hear a politician admit to having stage fright toward the start of his career. 

“I didn’t really feel comfortable talking in front of huge crowds of people, believe it or not,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who has represented Riverdale in the state Assembly since 1994. 

Mr. Dinowitz spoke to 16 students, including members of the school’s government, at IN-Tech during a roundtable on May 8. After a student asked him how he dealt with his nerves, he shared some advice. 

“You can’t let being nervous stop you; you kind of just have to dive into something,” he said. “If you talk like you’re talking to a friend as opposed to a large group, it’s not so difficult.” 

It was not the first visit Mr. Dinowitz has made to the school, having attended the school’s groundbreaking in 2005 along with former President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy. IN-Tech Principal Yvette Allen hoped the students would be able to connect with Mr. Dinowitz through the roundtable. 

“It’s important for them to have an opportunity to see who their local and state politicians are,” she said.

After explaining the duties of an assemblyman to the students — “For New York State, it’s like being a congressman, except you don’t get paid as much,” he joked — Mr. Dinowitz gave the students a sense of the path he took to reach the legislature. 

A Bronx native originally from Soundview, Mr. Dinowitz walked to school at Bronx High School of Science each day. He went on to attend Lehman College and then Brooklyn Law School. During his undergraduate days, he continued walking to school, as his family lived across the street from Lehman College. 

For Mr. Dinowitz, community involvement was the foundation of his political work. At age 17, he volunteered in a campaign for a president. He encouraged students to involve themselves in political and neighborhood activity. Most importantly, he said, students and community members need to fight for schools. 

“I think that’s our number one job,” he stated.