In May, State Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr., who represents the 75th District in the State Assembly, visited the Get & Give After School program. Here are some views of his visit!

I was so excited that an assemblyman came to our after school. Mr. Diaz taught us about the veto. He also talked about government and assembly people. He was teaching us about the branch of government. He taught us how to override the veto. It was nice of him to teach us about the government, assemblymen and the mayor of New York. It was fun to listen to him.

Mr. Diaz taught us about school laws - like not to chew gum. There is a reason not to chew gum. They put it under chairs and desks. Also there was to cover books. It was very exciting to hear from an assemblyman. I think the reason that he was here was to help the after school and its problems. I hope Mr. Diaz makes another visit to the Highbridge Community Life Center.
- Junior E. Junior

The moment Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. walked through the door, I knew he was someone special. He expressed himself in more ways than one. He opened everyone's eyes to some new things. His self-image attracted people in many ways.
Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. showed courage, intelligence, respect and bravery. He proved no matter how broken up your background is you can always make a difference. I never thought I would have experienced such a magical moment.
I can never express how thankful I am for meeting Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr.
- Bridget Adarkwa

My experience of Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr.'s visit is that he gave a good example to us. He is an honest man. He told us what is right and wrong. He taught us a lot of things. He even taught us about overriding the veto. He taught us about the Assembly. He is a decent person.

He taught us about the veto: That if the president said 'No' but almost everyone said 'Yes', that means it is a veto. A veto is when the president said 'No.' You do something called, "override the veto." You can do that by doing the same thing again, like voting normally. If it's more than half that mans you override the veto. The president will try to convince you to go along with him.
- Jose Nunez

My experience was great. It was very educational, too. The visit was also entertaining. The reason it was entertaining and interesting was because it taught us something about our social studies. It also taught us about the Senate and Assembly. This was very important.

I think his job is very important. He gets to make the bills (laws). He also gets to vote if he wants the law. There is also something called a veto. This when the governor decides not to make the bill a law. You can also override the veto. For this you must have two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the Assembly vote yes to the bill (idea for the law). This idea then a new law.
- Miguel A. Suarez

The Highbridge Youth Services respectfully thanks Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. for his visit to the Get & Give After School program.