Sara Azcona-Miller ’23

Overview

• BA, American Studies, Hispanic Studies, Vassar College

Sara Azcona-Miller (she/her) is an Urban Fellow at the NYC Comptroller’s Office in the Policy and Strategic Organizing Bureau, where she focuses on transportation and infrastructure. She is currently working on a report to explore ways the city can improve the management of its Open Streets program. At Vassar, Sara majored in American Studies and Hispanic Studies. Through the Fellowship Office, she spent two summers in Poughkeepsie pursuing her interest in transformative justice, interning at Exodus Transitional Community and the Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office. After graduating, Sara’s first full-time job was as a court liaison for Brooklyn Justice Initiatives’ pre-trial supervised release program. She also had the chance to follow her curiosity for storytelling as an Associate Producer on an upcoming documentary. A lifelong New Yorker, Sara has long been fascinated by urban placemaking. Internships at an urban planning firm and an affordable housing development company affirmed her commitment to community-driven approaches to environmental and social resilience. As a recent addition to the public sector, Sara is eager to continue exploring this passion while learning how to broaden decision-making power at the city level.

Advice to Students:

As a generalist interested in many different things, my professional experience straddles different sectors, disciplines, and issue areas. My resume doesn’t obviously tell a cohesive story or convey specialized knowledge, which is something I often felt self-conscious of. In my current role, however, each of my experiences that previously seemed disparate and sporadic now feels essential to why I am where I am and what I bring to the table. Even when you can’t immediately see it, there is value in being authentically guided by passion and curiosity, and a unique thread connecting your experiences is forming.