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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePaul chapter.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the youngest people to ever be elected to Congress, and I have never related to a politician more. Here are reasons why we would and should become besties:

We are crazy young but have A LOT going on

 

Plus, AOC graduated from Boston University with honors, and in a few weeks, I will finish my undergraduate degree with honors. She became a United States Congresswoman at 29 years old, and I will be 22 with a MEd. As little Derek from Full House once put it, “I love these aggressive women of the ’90s!”   

We speak another language at home!

 

AOC is fluent in Spanish, and I speak Ukrainian.

We both know what it’s like when nobody on this planet wants to say your name correctly

 

Recently, a guest on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle, perplexed by AOC’s pronunciation of her own name, mocked her by calling her pronunciation “The Latina Thing.” People who have never met you and who do not speak the language your name originates from TOTALLY have EVERY RIGHT to rearrange your syllables to fit their needs! I mean, it’s not like I have been using my name every single day since the day I was hatched. Go ahead, ask me why I don’t just call myself “Martha” to “make it easier”, or just rename myself completely because you hate my name (there was a really weird girl in my 7th grade class). I’ll tell you it’s because the Ukrainian language never makes the TH sound. Like, ever. So no, it really cannot be “Martha”. So, why wouldn’t AOC want to make people use her real name? Why do people in my classes act like they’ve never heard of the name Marta before when Marta Kauffman created Friends, and one of the highest-grossing films of all time has a character named Marta Von Trapp? I want to get ice cream with AOC and just vent.

The two of us together would be a DIY Dream Team

Growing up, whenever there was something that needed to be repaired in my house, a quick trip to Menards and Home Depot was the solution. Nine times out of ten, my Tato would fix it. I am pretty sure my dad could build an entire house from scratch if you gave him the tools, materials, and time. And whenever my dad needed to go to Menards, he would take me along. Yes, I spent a lot of time playing on patio furniture and playground equipment on display, but I also absorbed a lot of really important life hacks. Obviously, AOC was raised similarly, because she can answer her constituents’ questions on Instagram live while putting her apartment furniture together.

 

She really likes blazers and so do I

 

They’re warmer than cardigans and shrugs, and they always have pockets! I love it when women steal stuff from men’s closets and instantly look ten times better. I have “borrowed” my brother’s sports jackets at church/school/parties so often for warmth and pocket space that he makes sure I buy my own. I currently wear his old North Face fleece that he cannot fit into anymore because men’s North Face fleece jackets are DOUBLE the thickness of girls’ fleece and have GIANT POCKETS.

 

We both have great dance moves

AOC danced to The Breakfast Club theme, and I took dance in high school to fulfill my phys ed requirement. The dance party possibilities are ENDLESS.

Her twitter is HILARIOUS

AOC takes no prisoners when it comes to the pursuit of truth and justice.

 

Marta Leshyk

DePaul '20

Aspiring high school English teacher who hopes to help students learn to love and value themselves the way an old friend once helped her. Loves cats immensely, and enjoys iced coffee in the dead of winter. Is the proud daughter of immigrants, and learned English from Elmo, the ultimate PBS scholar. 
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