Nily Rozic, who was elected last year as representative of the State Assembly’s 25th District in Queens, tells of two constituents who walked into her storefront office on Union Turnpike in recent days. Both needed help getting government services, both had language difficulties — one spoke mostly Spanish; one spoke Russian.
In a few weeks, she and her staff helped arrange the needed services.
Which is why Rozic, the youngest member of the State Legislature, ran for an open seat. Since being inspired by a teacher at Townsend Harris High School, “I knew I wanted to help people.”
A native of Israel, she came to the U.S. with her family when she was 2. Her parents and two brothers still live in Queens, “all in my district.”
A graduate of Solomon Schechter School of Queens, which she attended through eighth grade, active in Hillel at NYU, a member of the Hillcrest Jewish Center, Rozic is Sabbath observant. “I don’t work on Saturdays.”
Her first name, she points out, is an acronym of a biblical phrase (Netzakh Yisrael Lo Yishaker — The Eternity (God) of Israel will not lie: I Samuel 15:29), and was the name of a Jewish espionage network in Palestine during World War I.
Rozic, a Democrat, is an expert in environmental and transportation issues, and an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton. “If she runs” for president, “sign me up.”
Athlete: A dedicated runner, Rozic is training for a 15-K (9.3-mile) race this summer. … and linguist: Representing a district with a large number of residents with roots in China, Rozic is teaching herself Mandarin, the country’s main dialect. She’s using the Rosetta Stone tutorial software. “I have a good ear for languages,” says Rozic, who already knows Hebrew and Spanish. Mandarin is a challenge. “I didn’t realize how tough it would be.”
