Cristina Parajón

Cristina Parajón is an American politician currently serving in the New Mexico House of Representatives. She was appointed by the Bernalillo County Commission to represent House District 25, covering central I-40 in Bernalillo County, primarily in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights.^[2][3] Parajón is the youngest female New Mexico legislator in history.^[4] She succeeded Rep. Christine Trujillo.^[2]

Career

Before her appointment to the New Mexico House, Parajón served as the strategy director for the New Mexico Department of Human Services.^[4] She also held roles as the deputy incident commander for the emergency operations center,^[5] and the gateway administrator for Albuquerque. In her capacity as the gateway administrator, Parajón managed projects addressing homelessness in Albuquerque.^[3]

New Mexico House of Representatives

In 2023, following the resignation of Democratic lawmaker Christine Trujillo, the Bernalillo County Commission appointed Parajón to represent House District 25. Selected from a pool of seven candidates with a 4-to-1 vote, Parajón is the first Gen-Z Democrat in the New Mexico State Legislature. She will serve in this capacity until December 31, 2024.^[6]

Early life and education

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Parajón pursued her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, receiving a full scholarship. As a Schwarzman Scholar, she later obtained a master's degree from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, focusing on reproductive health and gender inequalities in Nicaragua. Parajón also worked in financial management consulting prior to entering public service.^[7]

References