Alessandra Biaggi, the newly elected state senator from New York’s 34th district, was sworn in during a ceremony hosted at Lehman College on Sunday, Jan. 6, with Lehman President José Luis Cruz welcoming the enthusiastic crowd.

Biaggi, whose mother and grandmother attended Lehman, represents a district that covers part of the Bronx, including the college. The ceremony reflected the local community with students from Bronx Theater High School giving dance and spoken word presentations, a musical performance from the Bronx Opera, and an audience full of campaign volunteers, interns, supporters, and politicians.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer spoke to the full house in the Lovinger Theatre, along with U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New York City Council member Corey Johnson, and state Sen. Michael Gianaris. State senator and majority conference leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins administered the oath of office to the new state senator.

During her inaugural address, Biaggi noted the number of young people who were involved in her campaign. She promised to visit each high school in her district to talk about the importance of getting involved in local government and to encourage voter registration among students.