Lissette Ortiz, a student born in the Dominican Republic, made an impression when taking part in the inauguration ceremony for Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday, Wednesday 1 January. A Medgar Evers college senior (City University of New York), Ortiz introduced former President Bill Clinton, who swore in De Blasio. During her speech, Ortiz recounted, both in Spanish and in English how her mother had come to New York when she was three years old and how she did not see her again until twelve years later. She told the large audience: “We worked together, it was not easy and it still is not easy, but in this city the opportunities are unlimited.” Ortiz lives in the Bronx and is planning a career in public administration. She underlined the fact that “families that face the same challenges as mine have the same opportunities.” According to El Nuevo Diario, Ortiz called Clinton “the president of the world” and a “hero for millions, including in the Dominican Republic.”
www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/nyregion/an-inaugural-pageantry-with-verse-song-and-surprise-meetings.html?_r=0