Growing up in Reisterstown, Md., Ruben Amaya ‘23 has been serving in leadership roles in his home of Baltimore County as early as high school.
From representing over 118,000 students as President of the Baltimore County Student Councils, to serving as Commissioner for the Maryland Commission on the School-to-Prison Pipeline and Restorative Practices, as well as Commissioner for the Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission, Ruben has helped strengthen the local public school systems—his primary mission. In 2020, Ruben also served as the College Outreach Organizer for the Baltimore County Complete Count Census Committee, coordinating with colleges and universities in Baltimore County to participate in the census. Recently, he was appointed to fill a vacancy serving as an At-Large Member for the Baltimore County Democratic State Central Committee.
Now, Ruben is running for candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates District 10. If elected, he would be the first Latino to serve in state office in Baltimore County, and the second youngest Delegate elected in state history. “I didn’t plan on starting my career path this early, but my devotion to creating a movement that is focused on communities and creating platforms for people in my district is very important to me,” Ruben says.
As a criminal justice major, Ruben has had an eye-opening experience learning about the legal system, which has motivated him to address the “inequities that [people] face in our criminal justice system.” Ruben has also served as a former attorney and witness on Stevenson’s award-winning Mock Trial team alongside his role as Chief Justice for the Stevenson Student Government Association, putting his knowledge to practice outside of the classroom.
Most of all, Ruben chose Stevenson “because it had something to offer that most schools didn’t, which is a sense of community,” he notes. “Being around a diverse and talented cohort of peers has certainly expanded my views on society and the world.”
