Announcing the 2018 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars

They are the next generation of community advocates, social workers, medical staff, teachers, accountants, and public servants. But first, they’re NYCHA residents in pursuit of their educational dreams at City of University of New York colleges — and the 2018 recipients of NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarships.

The scholarships are given to residents who are full-time CUNY students displaying academic excellence, leadership, and service to their communities. They will each receive $1,000 for education-related expenses, including tuition, books, and fees. Since 2005, the program has awarded more than $175,000 in scholarships.

“The NYCHA-CUNY Scholarship is an opportunity to recognize NYCHA residents for their academic accomplishments as they pursue a post-secondary degree,” said Josephine Melendez, REES Assistant Director of Adult Education and Training. “Partnering with CUNY makes it possible to reach students to connect them to this valuable resource while highlighting the importance of institutional collaborations to better serve our residents. Congratulations to all the winners!”

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 for residents attending The City College of New York, funded by NYCHA/CUNY alumnus Jeffrey Levine; and the Kofi Hormeku Scholarship funded by Nehemiah Economic Development, Inc., for residents living in Brownsville, East New York, or Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.

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

Congratulations to the 23 2018 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars:

NYCHA-CUNY Scholars

Adiba Chowdhury
Baruch College
Washington Houses

Mohammed Zahirul Islam
College of Staten Island
Stapleton Houses

Fayel Mustafiz
Hunter College
Surfside Gardens

Cheikh Ndiye
The College of Staten Island
Polo Grounds Towers

Oluwatomisin Oredipe
The College of Staten Island
Richmond Houses

Dana Wu
Hunter College
Gravesend Houses

Farhana Yasmin
Kingsborough Community College
Stapleton Houses

Regina Figueroa Memorial Scholar

Ayana Chung
Kingsborough Community College
Queensbridge South Houses

Levine Family Scholars

Jannatul Ferdous Brishty
The City College of New York
Woodside Houses

Natalie Figueroa
The City College of New York
Pelham Parkway Houses

Brandon Gracia
The City College of New York
Wyckoff Gardens

Matthew Jacome
The City College of New York
Farragut Houses

Mahfuzur Rahman
The City College of New York
Taft Houses

Dayra Rivas
The City College of New York
Forest Houses

Dalia Saavedra
The City College of New York
McKinley Houses

Joel Sanchez
The City College of New York
Manhattanville Houses

Pristine Sermeno
The City College of New York
WSUR Brownstones

Tina Zhu
The City College of New York
Rutgers Houses

Kofi Hormeku Scholars

Kiara Cepeda
Brooklyn College
Brownsville Houses

Julissa Fernandez 
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Boulevard Houses

Yanisleidy Lewis Magan
Brooklyn College
Van Dyke Houses

Ana Minaya Garcia 
Baruch College
Howard Houses

Paola Paulino
York College
Cypress Hills Houses