Meet Baruch Alumnus Fedir Usmanov, Gen Z Candidate for City Council Primary

August 7, 2025

Last May, while his Zicklin School classmates were finishing up their semesters, Fedir Usmanov (BBA, ’25) was pounding the pavement in Coney Island and Bay Ridge, chatting up strangers, shaking hands, and taking selfies. Fedir was running for a seat on the New York City Council as the youngest candidate in the race.

In the following Q&A, Usmanov talks about his experience.

Tell us about yourself. 

I was born in Ukraine and immigrated here with my family at age 11. I went to local schools in Brighton Beach and faced the usual challenges immigrants face—learning the language, fitting in. Later on, my family started a nonprofit organization to teach traditional dances from all different cultures—our own Ukrainian folk dances but also Chinese, Spanish, Gypsy, Israeli, you name it. Bringing people from all different backgrounds, ages, religions, and cultures together to practice and perform was our way of giving back, and working there gave me a vision for what I wanted my campaign to be.

What made you decide to run for city council?

I got into politics by chance when I was 17. I was just looking for a part-time job, so I ended up working on a political campaign. I realized I was actually good at it—talking to people, explaining issues, and learning from their experiences. I felt like I was truly needed and could be helpful. It felt great to see the real impact of my work. Over time, politicians started recommending me to other campaigns, especially within the Russian-speaking community. That’s how I ended up staying in politics throughout college. And in my final semester of senior year, I thought, if not now, then when? I’m young, full of energy, and genuinely passionate about helping others

What was your campaign platform? 

I wanted to make my campaign stand out, so instead of pushing my own agenda, I engaged with people to learn what their concerns were. Our district, District 47 in Brooklyn, is very diverse, encompassing people from all different backgrounds, income levels, and perspectives on policy and life in general. We tracked data on the issues people wanted addressed by their representatives. Based on that we came up with our top five priorities: transit, education, safety, support for small businesses, and housing affordability.

How did the campaign go? 

I’m very proud of the campaign we built, even though we didn’t win. New York City tries to make it as easy as possible for ordinary people to run for office, but it’s still hard if you’re not part of the political clubs. At first, we focused on getting petitions signed so we could get matching funds from the city. Once we knew we were on the ballot, we started doing more promotion on social media. In the end, we got just over 20 percent of the vote, and some of our social media reels got 20 to 30 thousand views, so we definitely got our message out to a lot of people.

Now let’s talk about your Baruch and Zicklin experience. Did your college education help you in politics?

Absolutely! I majored in operations management and consulting. Operations management was a humongous part of how I envisioned targeting the issues I listed earlier. I especially want to call out Associate Professor William Millhiser of the Narendra P. Loomba Department of Management, who taught my Project Management class. All I can say is, “Wow.” Just “wow.”

Tell us more about that.

Project management is Millhiser’s passion and it shows. He told us on our first day that we would have a project due for every class, or 25 in total. Everyone thought that would be impossible, but it really worked out. For each class, he’d give us a 20-minute intro and a problem to solve, so we were applying our learning right away. If we ran into any roadblocks, we’d go to him for help. We had to pull the knowledge out of him. This method encourages you to think about how the process actually works, so you’re analyzing it, not just remembering it. With artificial intelligence now replacing entry-level jobs, it’s crucial to be able to analyze the thought process behind problem-solving. That class was absolutely wonderful.

Why did you decide to study at the Zicklin School?

The school’s reputation and its location, but also the return on investment, which is the best thing Baruch and Zicklin offer. That’s the school’s niche and I wanted to be a part of that. The professors are great and I hope to build a lifelong relationship with some of them because they really influenced me and my vision.

What’s next for you? 

Right now, we’re wrapping up the campaign. Meanwhile I got several job offers in different areas—politics, startups, real estate agencies.  I haven’t decided which one to accept yet.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m really grateful for what the Zicklin School gave me. I was very impressed by how the professors keep up to date with their industries and introduce new methods of studying and learning—for example, the whole approach they took to teaching AI just as it was coming out. Comparing notes with my friends in the Ivy League, I had better mentors and professors than they did.

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*** This copy originally appeared in Zicklin News. Visit the Zicklin School of Business to read about its undergraduate and graduate academic programs.