IN STEP: NEWLY ELECTED STATE REP. JASON ROJAS ASSIST ASPIRA W/ LAUNCH OF THE PRE-COLLEGE ACADEMY

Newly elected State Representative of the 9th District, Jason Rojas, was sworn into office on January 7th, at the Capitol where he will begin the first legislative session of his 2-year term. After getting acclimated to the State legislative process, Mr. Rojas is looking forward to getting involved in his 3 committees (Finance, Revenue & Bonding, Planning & Development and Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee) so that he can immediately move forward with the goals that he set out to during his campaign.

In conjunction with his mission to support the Latino community and increase student achievement, Mr. Rojas is collaborating with ASPIRA of CT and Trinity College to launch a new ASPIRA-sponsored program, The Pre-College Academy, available to any Hartford area high school student. The academy will focus primarily on providing high school students with academic support in the sciences with emphasis on ecology, leadership development and college preparation. It is Jason’s belief that with such programs in place, “we can build a well educated workforce for our state and country.” The well documented regional and nation-wide need for qualified workers, especially Latinos, in fields like nursing and engineering has demanded that secondary education institutions introduce students to these careers at an early stage.
"I think the collaboration with ASPIRA is very much in line with the mission and goals of Trinity College to be a resource to the neighborhood, residents and city. The college has a long history of partnering with community organizations to improve access to education, particularly higher education and by hosting ASPIRA's Saturday enrichment program, the Pre-College Academy, Trinity College is continuing its efforts to improve access" said, Rep. Rojas. As the first member in his family to go to college, Jason, knows all too well the importance of attaining a higher education. He is a product of working class parents who worked hard so he could have a better life. Their labors have allowed him to easily recognize the benefits and opportunities that having a college education can offer. For much of the last decade, Representative Rojas has worked with the community in mind and has served in appointed and elected offices doing the same. He campaigned for State Representative because he believed that he owed it to the Latino community to utilize his education, experience and energy to serve a greater purpose. Currently serving as the Director of Community Relations at Trinity College, he serves as the college’s lead liaison to city and regional corporate, educational and civic partners. With his past service on the Board of Education and his current service as a State Representative and commitment to other civic and educational organizations including the New England Association of School & Colleges Commission on Public Secondary Schools; it is Representative Rojas’s hope to do the same for all of his neighbors in the 9th Assembly district.