Manhattan College student making a
difference in the Bronx Asian community
BY JASON COHEN
Immigrating to the Bronx
from the Philippines at
5-years-old was a complete culture
shock for Eunice Nazar.
Today, she is impacting the
community and hopes to one
day serve in elected offi ce.
Nazar, 20, of Co-op City,
has come a long way from
when she fi rst arrived in the
borough. Life was not easy as
she and her parents lived with
nine people in a two bedroom
apartment.
“It was a diffi cult time,”
she recalled. “I didn’t know
English, I had no teeth and I
was scared of everyone.”
She explained to the Bronx
Times that one major difference
between here and the
Philippines is that families
there eat lunch together.
Between P.S. 160 and M.S.
180 she slowly began to overcome
the language barrier
and feel comfortable. As
Nazar got older she observed
how much people struggle in
the Bronx and realized that
she wanted to make a difference.
Nazar attended Cardinal
Spellman High School and
today is a junior at Manhattan
College studying history
and peace and justice studies.
She is also the second deputy
speaker of the Manhattan College
Senate.
With recent attacks
against Asian people in NYC
and Atlanta, Nazar is sad, but
not surprised as this stuff has
been going on for years. She is
even a bit frightened when she
takes the subway due to the
racism.
“This past year it’s been
tough because I know people
personally who’ve been spit
on,” she said. “It’s not fun to
learn about how a lot of people
are suffering and how one
particular group is prone to
COVID.”
All of these assaults, hate
and deaths upset her, but
make her want to advocate
and stand up for those who
are struggling. Her parents,
Angelic and Michael, who are
both nurses, taught her how
to be a good person.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A 26 PR. 16-22, 2021 BTR
To see them go from immigrants
and living in a twobedroom
unit with many
people to owning a home and
successful careers, inspired
her to want to help others.
“My parents are my rock,”
she stressed.
She is a history Fellow, a
Writing Center tutor and was
honored as the best supplemental
instructor fellow at
the College’s Center for Academic
Success.
Nazar has been a policy intern
at Mekong NYC, a nongovernmental
organization
that seeks to improve the
quality of life of the Southeast
Asian community in the
Bronx and throughout New
York City. At Mekong, she assisted
in the launch of a statewide
campaign, the Southeast
Asian Defense Project
and collaborated with local
organizations.
Nazar was also recently
recognized as a Newman
Civic Fellow, one of 212 students
nationwide to earn the
honor.
“They (Mekong) have inspired
me,” she said. “They
are a great organization.”
As she looks ahead to
graduating next year, Nazar
hopes to join the Peace Corps
or AmericaCorps and eventually
go to law school and or
start a nonprofi t.
The girl who was once lost
in the busy Bronx now has set
high bar for herself. She hopes
to do pro bono work, fi ght for
those in underserved communities
and maybe one day a
council member or senator.
“My passion will always
be directed toward people in
the Bronx and USA to have a
better quality of life,” she explained.
Eunice Nazar makes a difference in the community.
Courtesy of Eunice Nazar