Alfred R. Fuente

Alfred R. Fuente

2016 Ricardo Salinas Scholar,

Alfred R. Fuente (New York) is an attorney in New York City. Prior to private practice, in 2012, Alfred served as a campaign staffer for President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood…

Alfred R. Fuente (New York) is an attorney in New York City. Prior to private practice, in 2012, Alfred served as a campaign staffer for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood (a Spanish-speaking enclave of Cuban and Central American immigrants), helping turn a longstanding Republican congressional district blue for the first time since 1996. Alfred is intimately familiar with the importance of diversity in organizations and communities alike. In 2012, Alfred’s team consisted of four individuals: a 36-year-old man who was unemployed and had spent the past year sleeping in his car, an 18-year-old New Yorker who spoke no Spanish, a 62-year-old woman from Kansas and a 61-year-old deaf Cuban immigrant. With the help of outstanding volunteers, Alfred’s team registered hundreds of voters, logged nearly 9,100 calls and knocked on more than 10,000 doors in three months. Alfred believes that organizing a diverse team, that represented the community at large, helped the President win an unfavorable congressional district, and contributed to the President’s victory in Florida. Following the campaign, Alfred served as a legal aid attorney representing low-income families impacted by Hurricane Sandy. His work resulted in significant changes to existing legal practices in courtrooms in Kings County (Brooklyn) where he defended indigent litigants of color facing power shut-offs by Con Edison for unpaid bills. Of Cuban descent, Alfred speaks English, Spanish, and French fluently. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from American University, he also holds two Masters degrees from the University of Paris—La Sorbonne and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University, where he was a recipient of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship for academic excellence. Participated in Socrates, New York, New York November 2016.