Meet NYCHA-CUNY Scholar Cesar Ayala 

Cesar Ayala believes his sense of responsibility toward his community stems from his experiences as a resident of public housing and a public college student. 

After living at Brooklyn’s Ingersoll Houses for 15 years, Mr. Ayala said he has learned the values of resilience and resourcefulness to help him overcome various challenges. Those same values have served him well while attending college, where he has been able to broaden his understanding of diverse communities and been inspired to mentor peers with similar backgrounds and adversities.  

“The emphasis on community engagement and service-learning opportunities at my college has allowed me to make a meaningful impact in my local community,” said Mr. Ayala, a Brooklyn native.      

Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human resources management as a senior at Baruch College, Mr. Ayala was recently named a 2023 NYCHA-CUNY Scholar, along with a record 78 other scholarship recipients. He was among 54 CUNY students who were selected for the Amazon Scholarship, funded by a grant from Amazon to the Public Housing Community Fund, providing NYCHA residents and Section 8 participants with $1,000 for education-related expenses such as tuition, books, and fees. The scholarship awardees were celebrated during a ceremony at NYCHA’s central office in Manhattan on September 29.  

Mr. Ayala said the scholarship is a source of motivation and helps affirm his commitment to his studies.   

“Getting some acknowledgement every now and then feels good,” he said. “It was motivating because it made me want to do more.”  

As only the second member of his family to pursue a college degree, Mr. Ayala has learned to adopt a flexible mindset while managing responsibilities for both the classroom and a retail sales job. 

“It’s like a switch for me where I have a work mode when I’m at work and I have a school mode when I’m at school,” he explained. 

Through his work experience in sales, Mr. Ayala has been able to further develop his people skills, which has also helped drive his interest in a human resources career.  

“I’ve always been really good with people,” he noted. “I get along with pretty much anybody; I’m super flexible with everybody’s personality and I understand that everybody’s different.” 

For Mr. Ayala, those same people skills and appreciation for diverse communities have influenced his involvement in various mentoring roles before and during college. One of his most impactful roles has been serving as a peer mentor in the State’s Search for Education Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program, which supports economically disadvantaged students at CUNY schools.  

“Being a peer mentor in the SEEK program has not only allowed me to give back to my community but has also deepened my understanding of the barriers faced by students from similar backgrounds,” he said.  

Mr. Ayala seeks to share his experiences with his mentees and provide them with tools to thrive academically and personally, while allowing them to interact with someone who’s “been in similar shoes” as they navigate the public college experience.  

“I’ve always liked being able to provide other students with some type of guidance and to be there for them,” he said, adding that he hopes to continue with mentoring initiatives after his undergraduate career.  

Mr. Ayala, who may choose to enroll in graduate school and eventually pursue teaching, is eager to take the first step toward a future career by earning his bachelor’s degree in May 2024.  

“It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to because it’ll be an accomplishment and something to make myself and others proud,” Mr. Ayala said.  

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

To see the full list of 2023 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars, click here.