Photo Courtesy of Mike Groll/Office of the Governor
The school is offering instant admission to the spring 2023 semester to veterans and active military service members Governor Kathy Hochul takes the oath of office on Sunday.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Kathy Hochul on Sunday took the oath of office as New York’s 57th governor—and its first female governor.
“To paraphrase one of our former governors, Teddy Roosevelt, ‘The people have now chosen a woman to be in the arena.’ You’ve heard of the man in the arena. There’s now a woman in the arena. And that man and that woman are willing to be marred by dust and sweat and blood to strive valiantly and spend herself in a worthy cause,” Hochul said in a stirring inaugural address. “As the sign says, I didn’t come here to make history. I came here to make a difference. And to pursue the worthy causes, pursue them together. And as your Governor, I’ll keep fighting for you every single day. And this is what I know about New Yorkers, just like the Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governors do a lot of traveling. I know every corner of this state. New Yorkers are tough. They’re undeterred. They’re unafraid. We’re also innovators and creators. We can be optimists and realists, dreamers and doers. But above all, when we are united, there’s no stopping us. And there is no fight for what is right that we will ever back down from.”
Hochul later added, “And just as we are reflecting on history today, when history looks back on our time, the question will be to all of us, in the present, the question will be whether we rose up to meet these challenges today and challenges yet unknown.
“Whether we took the torch that was passed to us from those trailblazers and made it burn even brighter before we passed it off to the next generation. They’ll ask whether we advanced the causes of social justice and the progressive values that have set us apart from all the rest. Standing before you, I know the answer is yes.
“Because obstacles don’t define us. Rather, it is the unparalleled courage and character of us that defines us as a people. So my confidence in the future is steeped in our glorious past – in the face of adversity, we always persist. We persevere, we prevail,” she said.
“New York stands for something extraordinary: Opportunity and ambition, compassion and tolerance, and the most fascinating people and places. Ultimately, a place where millions can come to, to build their lives, their families, live a good life. And that’s why I’m energized. I’m enthusiastic to be in this arena, no matter what comes our way. Because this is the New York I believe in, and the New York that I’ll fight for every day,” the governor said.
Hochul defeated Nassau County Rep. Lee Zeldin in November to win a full-term governorship.
“So as I approach the next four years with the energy and the sense of purpose and optimism, I know I’m not alone. For I’m joined in that arena with others who will fight the good fights and the worthy pursuits that Roosevelt spoke of. Let’s use these coming years to truly make a difference for each other and to make this state stronger than it’s ever been in our glorious history,” Hochul concluded. “New York, just as you have put your faith in me, and I thank all the voters of New York, I also have faith in you. And to my very core, I believe there is nothing we cannot accomplish together, and so we will.”
