Over the past year, I've had conversations with New Yorkers from every walk of life, and I've been so inspired by the people I've met. I've listened to people talk about their neighborhoods and families, yet my heart aches when I hear how people feel they haven't been heard--or worse--have been failed by our leaders. New York is the greatest city in the world, and it's become clear that we deserve better leadership.

This incredible city has shaped who I am. But the city is incredible because of its people, people like you. We see people in this city step up and work together to solve problems every single day, yet we also see fighting and bickering from politicians. We see too much rhetoric and too little action.

Over the course of my life, I have had the privilege of being a student, an educator, and an advocate. I fight every day for our children's access to a high quality education. I know how important education and community are - they are bedrock of our city. Yet, we are so far from the city we want. A city where every child has access to the community and education they deserve. A city where we respond to our homelessness epidemic with compassion and action. A city where the bond between our citizens and our police is unshakeable. We need to reimagine this city together and forgo the politics of the next election to make progress for the next generation.

We are starting this campaign now, because there is so much to do. Over the course of the next year, I will travel this city to speak to anyone and everyone who wants to shape this city. I want to talk to people who have never seen a candidate in their neighborhood, because not a single New Yorker should ever go unheard. I want to talk to people who will never be able to vote for me, because this is a city of people, not voters. And I want to talk to people who vehemently disagree with me, because we are one city, all in this together.