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At the age of 24, Zara Kozlov ’02 was New Jersey’s youngest delegate at the last Republican National Convention. Her responsibilities included attending floor events every night, supporting the party platform, and serving as a liaison between the Party and the media as a member of the GOP’s Media Committee.
“Being on the floor at Madison Square Garden was one of the most energetic, lively atmospheres of which I have ever been a part,” she says. “Listening to the various speakers, including John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Zell Miller, and, of course, President Bush, really broadened my understanding of the wide platform for which the current Republican Party stands.”
Kozlov attended evening events such as a cocktail reception with former President George H.W. Bush and a “W Stands for Women” event at the Waldorf-Astoria featuring talks by Barbara Bush and Liz and Lynne Cheney.
Her interest in politics began at an early age, with her father being very involved in the Republican Party in New Jersey. It continued with her decision to pursue majors in government & law and anthropology & sociology, and peaked upon her internship with Congressman James Saxton, a U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of New Jersey, during her junior year. She researched legislative bills for Saxton, wrote reports on them, and also got to observe the progression and steps a proposed bill takes before being passed.
“An early exposure to politics, coupled with my internship and the government and law experience I received at Lafayette, really prompted my desire to get involved,” she says.
Kozlov credits Susan Niles, professor of anthropology and sociology, David Shulman, associate professor of anthropology and sociology, and Ilan Peleg, Charles A. Dana Professor of Government and Law, for impacting her in different ways. She is finishing up her studies at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she has served as production editor of Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. She hopes to start her legal career in litigation or family law at a firm, eventually making her way into the political arena.