Meet NYCHA-CUNY Scholar Naya Mellette
For Webster Houses resident Naya Mellette, public service has long been on her mind as an ideal career path.
Generations of her family, starting with her great-grandmother, have lived at the same Bronx development where Ms. Mellette grew up. Over the decades, Webster Houses has been not only a residence for her family but also an “anchor” as they’ve faced challenges in pursuit of education and career opportunities.
Now in her final semester at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Ms. Mellette will soon take a meaningful step toward a career path that she hopes will allow her to serve the community by helping people from similar backgrounds.
“As someone raised within the walls of NYCHA’s Webster Houses and now studying at a CUNY college, I carry both legacies within me,” she said. “My journey is not just personal; it is deeply interwoven with the communities that built me, and to them I owe everything.”
Ms. Mellette, who expects to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice with two minors in December, has been named a 2025 NYCHA-CUNY Scholar, as one of a record 100 scholarship recipients this year. The scholarship provides NYCHA residents and Section 8 participants with $1,000 for education-related expenses such as tuition, books, and fees. This year’s NYCHA-CUNY Scholarship awardees were celebrated during a 20th anniversary ceremony at NYCHA’s central office in Manhattan on October 17.
The resident scholarship comes at a fitting time for Ms. Mellette as she sets her sights on eventually taking the LSAT exam to enroll in law school, aspiring to become the first female attorney in her family.
“Law school is on my mind and on the agenda because I want to eventually become a lawyer,” she said of her future ambitions.
She cites civil rights law among her areas of interest, noting it’s a critical issue that can help people from similar backgrounds in the community. While being a lawyer is the ultimate goal, she plans to put her law school plans on hold immediately after graduation to allow time to build a financial cushion.
In the meantime, she noted her “journey doesn’t stop at the courtroom,” as she also hopes to earn some career experience and serve the community through a different means – law enforcement – prior to enrolling in law school.
“I am also pursuing a path with the NYPD, aspiring to be an officer who protects not with power, but with empathy and understanding,” the NYCHA-CUNY Scholar said.
Ms. Mellette said her empathic approach to her work can be credited to previous experience as a student intern at the Staten Island Justice Center and Summer Youth Employee at the Woodycrest Center for Human Development.
As she approaches college graduation and embarks on the next steps toward her career ambitions, Ms. Mellette is inspired to serve as a model for what’s possible for people from her community.
“You can take the girl out of Webster, but you will never take Webster out of the girl,” she concluded. “I am proud of my roots, and I will spend my life turning every gift I’ve been given into something that feeds the soul of my community.”
To learn more about the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship, click here.
To learn about the 2025 scholarship awards ceremony, click here.