AOC Faces Backlash After People Discover Her Childhood Name, Where She Actually Grew Up

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under fresh criticism over her long-standing claims of being a proud “Bronx girl” after details of her suburban upbringing resurfaced online. Born in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez moved with her family to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County when she was five — about 35 miles north of the borough she often cites in speeches and social media.

Before rising to prominence as a member of the progressive “Squad,” she was known to classmates simply as “Sandy” at Yorktown High School. Former science teacher Michael Blueglass described her as “incredible” and praised her communication skills, recalling her success at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Despite these Westchester roots, Ocasio-Cortez has built much of her political image around her Bronx identity. She frequently references it in campaign messaging, including a recent quip that women from the Bronx “can eat Queens boys for breakfast.” Critics argue this narrative downplays her comfortable suburban upbringing.

“She’s twisting herself in knots to dodge the fact she was raised in the suburbs,” said New York Assemblyman Matt Slater, who recently shared her yearbook photo online. The post went viral, reigniting debate over her authenticity.

Ocasio-Cortez responded on X, saying she’s proud of her background and noting her mother worked as a house cleaner, sometimes bartering labor for SAT tutoring. She insists that living in both the Bronx and Yorktown gave her firsthand insight into inequality, shaping her drive for change.

For some, she remains the Bronx firebrand. For others in Yorktown, she’s still just “Sandy” from Westchester.