MindFull Ep. 1: Assemblywoman Taylor Darling
In the first episode of MindFull, I had the incredible opportunity of meeting and conversing with Assemblywoman Taylor Darling. Assemblywoman Darling, born in Brooklyn, New York, has always been a trailblazer. And although she’s only just about to start her second term in the New York Assembly, she’s already asserted her place. In this interview, we discuss one of her biggest motivations, her sister, her policy plans for the future, the stress COVID-19 has put on local communities and on the individual, and ways to keep taking a step forward everyday towards better lives for all.
Audio Source: Mixkit Stock Music
Image Source: Observe, The Odgers Berndtson Global Magazine. Well Working, Issue 14, Is Mindfullness a Help or Just Hype? 17 July 2018
Full Summary and Bibliography:
In the first episode of MindFull, I had the incredible opportunity of meeting and conversing with Assemblywoman Taylor Darling. Assemblywoman Darling, born in Brooklyn, New York, has always been a trailblazer. She got into college at 16 years of age, and once in her career as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, she was well desired by multiple industries. But she didn’t feel happy or satisfied in that role. Instead, she decided to take a leap of faith and become a politician. Assemblywoman Darling’s first political accomplishment was winning the Democratic Primary for District 18 in 2018. It was no small task, as her opponent was the District 18 incumbent since 1988. Since her victory in the general election that same year Assemblywoman Darling has continued to be a leader who speaks up for the benefit of the community. For example, she sponsored a bill that establishes education loan forgiveness for people hired by a state employer. That way, more New Yorkers are encouraged to become teachers, social workers, nurses, and more. In addition, Assemblywoman Darling publicly pushed for more regulation around dispersing the federal relief funds given to Hempstead because of COVID-19. In this interview, she stated that since relief funds come from citizens’ taxes, it should be more of a certainty that the money gets back to those citizens in need.
During the interview, Assemblywoman Darling and I had a great discussion about a variety of topics. For instance, she spoke about someone very near and dear to her heart that she mentions in almost all of her interviews-her sister. According to Assemblywoman Darling her sister is always by her side to not only support her, but also to give constructive criticism. Her sister was also the one who pushed her to enter politics in the first place. It was wonderful to hear that she has such a great person in her support system.
One of my favorite sections of the interview was when I asked Assemblywoman Darling if she had any advice she wanted to give to everyone who might listen to this podcast. She said that no matter who we are and what parts of our identity we think hold us back (such as age), we can all do little things to make a difference in the world. In her opinion, when you give yourself small goals repeatedly, you can clearly see the change you make over time. And when multiple people do this, it betters the quality of life of an entire community.
At first, I didn’t think this dream interview opportunity would become a reality. I had asked my aunt to connect me to the assemblywoman, but after contacting her I just received an “OK” to the interview, with no specific date. I had to be more persistent and show how much I wanted to meet with her. Amina gave me encouragement to follow up with Assemblywoman Darling, and for that I’m very grateful. I hope those listening to my podcast start to pay more attention to their local government systems and realize they can be “action figures” and start to work towards change right now. In the future, I want to work with Assemblywoman Taylor Darling and try to be one of those “action figures” myself. Additionally, I would like to create more episodes of my podcast and continue to give people encouragement within them.
Bibliography
“Biography.” Taylor Darling, https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Taylor-Darling/bio/.
“Is Mindfulness a Help or Just Hype?” OBSERVE Magazine, Odgers Berndtson, 17 July 2018, https://www.odgersberndtson.com/en-us/insights/is-mindfulness-a-help-or-just-hype.
“Loan Forgiveness, Cancellation and Discharge.” New York State Higher Education Services Corporation, https://www.hesc.ny.gov/repay-your-loans/repayment-options-assistance/loan-forgiveness-cancellation-and-discharge.html.
Nava, Diego. “Green Chair.” Mixkit, https://mixkit.co/free-stock-music/tag/bass/.
“NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY: 18TH DISTRICT.” Newsday, 2 June 2009, http://www.newsday.com/new-york-state-assembly-18th-district-1.760576.
“Public Hearing on Federal Response to COVID-19 Impact on Small Business.” Taylor Darling, 17 June 2020, https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Taylor-Darling/video/.
“Sponsored Legislation.” Taylor Darling, https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Taylor-Darling/sponsor/.
“Taylor Darling.” Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/Taylor_Darling.