Announcing the 2021 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars

Most of this year’s recipients of the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarships spent the past two years pursuing college degrees to become scientists, journalists, nurses, and teachers in the face of a global pandemic – and they were recognized for their hard work at a virtual award celebration on November 10.

NYCHA and CUNY virtually celebrated 35 residents – the highest number of scholarships in the award’s history – for their academic excellence, leadership, and contributions to their communities at the 16th annual NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship Program awards ceremony.

NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ wished the scholars the best in their education. He also said: “The city is coming back from COVID though the effects of certain challenges continue, and I hope the awards will alleviate some of those barriers you might encounter. I’ve heard so many good things about this year’s winners – in addition to pursuing your degrees, many of you volunteer in your communities or work full-time or juggle parenthood. Some of you overcame significant obstacles to pursue college education. Many of you are first-generation Americans, living out your and your parents’ dreams of higher education. I wish you all good luck.”

screenshot of NYCHA-CUNY virtual awards ceremony
A screenshot of this year’s virtual NYCHA-CUNY Scholarship program.

The NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship is awarded to residents in full-time CUNY programs with at least a 3.0 GPA. All awardees received $1,000 that can be used for education-related expenses, including tuition, books, and fees. Since 2005, the scholarship program has awarded more than $224,000 in scholarships.

The scholarship program includes the NYCHA-CUNY Scholarship and the Regina A. Figueroa Memorial Scholarship for residents with disabilities, both funded by the New York City Council; the Levine Family Scholarship, funded by Jeffrey Levine; and the Kofi Hormeku Scholarship, provided by Nehemiah Economic Development, Inc., for residents living in Brownsville, East New York, or Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.

This year, the scholarship program expanded to include three new scholarships. NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability (REES), which oversees the NYCHA-CUNY awards, established the Kisha Jackson Memorial Scholarship in honor of its beloved colleague who passed away in 2018. Ms. Jackson was a 20-year NYCHA employee; she spent four years as the REES Zone Coordinator for Downtown Brooklyn, connecting residents in her zone to economic and educational opportunities. The scholarship is awarded to residents living in Downtown Brooklyn. The Fund for Public Housing, a non-profit that supports NYCHA and its residents, introduced two new scholarships: the National Grid Scholarship (thanks to a grant from the public utility company to the Fund) and NYCHA Youth Now, which expands the youth-centered leadership program to include scholarships for residents ages 18 to 24.

In addition to Chair Russ, speakers included City Council Member Helen Rosenthal; Claire McLeveighn, Deputy Director of the Fund for Public Housing; Terry Yarde, Manager of NYC Agencies for National Grid; and Ian James, Deputy to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment at CUNY.

Council Member Rosenthal highlighted a scholar from her district, Katherine Pinzon of WSUR, who attends Baruch College, sharing words from Ms. Pinzon’s employer about her dedication and hard work. “I’m confident that everyone receiving this scholarship tonight would receive the same accolades from the people around them,” Council Member Rosenthal said. “I know that you have worked so hard. You really need to recognize how powerful you are and how powerful the work is that you’ve done. Congrats. Keep working as hard as you are; you will reap enormous benefits from it.”

To learn more about the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship, click here.   

Congratulations to the 35 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars of 2021:   

Regina Figueroa Memorial Scholar 

Ayana Chung 
Medgar Evers College 
Ravenswood Houses 

Kisha Jackson Memorial Scholar  

Zhi Jie Kuang  
Baruch College  
Ingersoll Houses  

NYCHA-CUNY Scholars   

Mirelys Aldarondo  
College of Staten Island  
West Brighton Houses 

Katherine Pinzon  
Baruch College  
WSUR  

NYCHA Youth Now Scholars 

Maya Alexander 
Baruch College  
Straus Houses 

Alma Alonzo  
Baruch College  
Ravenswood Houses 

Ahbab Ashraf  
Hunter College  
Astoria Houses 

Elyon Clyde  
Baruch College  
Dyckman Houses 

Fatumata Dibaga  
Lehman College  
Adams Houses 

Helen He  
Hunter College  
Douglass Houses 

M’Niyah Lynn 
Baruch College  
Wagner Houses  

Jackeline Ortiz  
John Jay College of Criminal Justice  
Riis Houses 

Julia Vigay  
Baruch College  
East River Houses 

Jackie Yee  
Hunter College  
Rangel Houses 

National Grid Scholars  

Kiara Cornish  
Baruch College  
Red Hook East Houses   

Natasha Crump  
New York City College of Technology  
Sumner Houses  

Laure De Los Santos  
Queens College  
Whitman Houses  

Fatoumatta Drammeh 
Medgar Evers College 
Marlboro Houses 

Meggen Fernandez  
LaGuardia Community College  
Cooper Park Houses 

Jelani Henry  
Hunter College  
Bay View Houses   

Jennie Liao  
Brooklyn College  
Coney Island Houses 

Monae Ollivierre  
John Jay College of Criminal Justice  
Farragut Houses  

Xue Qin Ruan  
Medgar Evers College  
Lafayette Houses  

Julia Zhang  
Hunter College  
Marlboro Houses 

Levine Family Scholars   

Badiallo Diawara  
The City College of New York  
Howard Houses 

Erika Hodge  
The City College of New York  
Fort Independence Street-Heath Avenue  

Carmen Huang  

The City College of New York   

Amsterdam Houses  

Alia Medina 
The City College of New York  
Williamsburg Houses 

Rania Saleb  
The City College of New York  
King Towers 

Kevin Suriel  
The City College of New York  
Borinquen Plaza II  

Francisca Vallejo  
The City College of New York  
Carver Houses 

Kofi Hormeku Scholars  

Kenoy Frith 
Baruch College  
Van Dyke I Houses  

Jensie Mueses  
John Jay College  
Pink Houses  

Adonis Perez  
Borough of Manhattan Community College  
Cypress Hills Houses 

Branda Sicot  
Brooklyn College  
Brownsville Houses