Full Name
Jaszi Alejandro
Job Title
Health and Outreach Coordinator
Company
NEW Pride Agenda
Speaker Bio
Johnathan Alejandro, also known as “Jaszi,” is well-known in the New York region for his HIV/AIDS advocacy work. Jaszi is a male-identified pansexual social justice activist and has been working in the healthcare field, particularly within HIV prevention and awareness work for much of his life. Growing up as the youngest of six kids, the Nuyorican Bronx native grew up with the desire to change the world. Throughout his adolescence, Jaszi worked with organizations such as The Hetrick-Martin Institute and F.I.E.R.C.E, where he took an interest in the issues that impact at-risk LGBTQ youth: Homophobia, Transphobia, Homelessness, and HIV/AIDS. After contracting HIV as a teenager, Jaszi developed a passion to educate the world on the realities of living with HIV and began working towards ending HIV stigma. As a young adult Jaszi co-chaired the NYS Department of Health’s AIDS Institute Young Adults Consumer Advisory Committee (YACAC) which was a group of statewide consumers that reviewed and revised educational materials and clinical guidelines for adolescent health care, as well as facilitated workshops and spoke at conferences nationwide. Jaszi has been recognized for his HIV advocacy work and was offered a 5-year modeling contract with Better World Advertising where he became a spokesmodel for the nationally known campaign “HIV Stops With ME.” Jaszi became the face of a new generation of young people living with HIV and became an inspiration to many. Jaszi also served as the original spokesmodel for one of GMHC’s largest social marketing campaigns, “I Love My Boo,” an anti-homophobic public awareness campaign that promoted healthy relationships amongst POC & MSM. The campaign was featured in various publications and on billboards throughout the entire NYC Public Transit System. The campaign won the award for the Most Outstanding Social Marketing campaign at the GLAAD Amplifier Awards. Jaszi’s success as a spokesmodel led him to become a full-time Community Health Specialist at GMHC, where he helped launch the first official youth drop-in center called CLUB 1319, an after-school program for young MSM ages 13-19 to have a safe space and receive trainings on job readiness, HIV prevention and awareness, and LGBTQ+ rights. Jaszi aspires to live in Hawaii one day, but until then, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Lehman College and resides with his dog dynasty of miniature pinschers that he breeds and trains in his spare time.
Jaszi Alejandro