Running for Mayor at 19: Courage, Community, and the WIN Summit Effect
Written By WIN Ambassador, Julia Qing Reaves
When I was nineteen years old, I ran for Mayor of New York City. At that time I’d accumulated
leadership experience through the WIN Summit, Girl Scouts of Greater New York Leadership
Institute, NYC Service’s Youth Leadership Council, among many other valuable programs and
activities. Much like the WIN Summit’s focus on bold, values-driven leadership, I too was
motivated to strengthen the community and strive to become a forward thinker.
I was disheartened by the lack of leadership in the White House, Albany and the City. I
desperately wanted stability, a voice of reason, and a clarifying focus on strength in unity. I look
back on who I was then and the time I spent on the campaign trail as one of the most gratifying
and rewarding experiences of my relatively short life.
I dreamt of a world better than what exists today. I wanted a thorough and frank look at the
currently existing budget for the city, for it to be reevaluated and designed, not just for the city of
the present day but for the future. I wanted a dynamic leader, one who could and would bring
people together.
Running for Mayor of New York City at 19 was not a walk in Central Park, particularly as a
pandemic gripped the community. In the face of adversity and many challenges, I continued to
persevere. I did all the filing paperwork myself, as well as the financial work. I solicited
volunteer staff and looked for ways to get the message out despite the lockdown. I talked to
subject matter experts and developed a platform. I delivered speeches, including for Columbia
University’s Toastmasters, virtually through Zoom.
My love for the city gave me the guts and strength that I knew was a common theme and
attribute of women from the WIN Summit. My determination was spurred on by knowing that
my mentors from the WIN Summit had faith in me.
Looking back on that time in my life, it gives me pride and strength to pursue my current goals
including starting a company called Bread Up, focusing on online financial literacy education for
young people and underserved communities. The qualities of the women of WIN, who walk the
walk with a special inner strength, gave me great insight, and inspired me to go after my dreams
and wishes, to take calculated risks and to rely on one another for advice and growth. I knew
there was no other way for me to stand up for my community.