Real Estate, Architecture Scholar Programs Celebrate Spring NYCHA Graduates 

Two scholar programs focused on nurturing NYCHA resident interest in the fields of commercial real estate and architecture recently celebrated graduations for their spring cohorts. 

On May 18, the NYCHA Real Estate Scholars program held ceremonies at the New York University School of Professional Studies to congratulate the newest graduates of its free courses for NYCHA high school students and adults. The following day, the free ARCscholars program honored its spring class of NYCHA youth with a graduation ceremony at the FXCollaborative Architects office in Brooklyn.  

Through the Real Estate Scholars program, NYCHA residents learn about commercial real estate industry topics such as design and development, the history of real estate, project feasibility, real estate valuation, and property/asset management, while also taking field trips to development sites in the city. The program is an initiative of the Public Housing Community Fund, in partnership with the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate and Wynn Resorts. After completing the spring program, NYCHA high school students and adults – who were members of separate cohorts – presented their final projects at the May 18 graduation event.  

The spring 2024 graduating classes for the NYCHA Real Estate Scholars program.

Funded by the Public Housing Community Fund, the ARCscholars program pairs young NYCHA residents with architecture students from CUNY’s New York City College of Technology (City Tech) and The New School’s Parsons School of Design. The scholars research outdoor spaces at NYCHA developments and propose various design ideas to enhance the built environment. In addition, the scholars work with a group of professional architect mentors who help them cultivate their concepts.  

For the spring cohort, the students visited and explored the campus of Queensbridge Houses to identify areas of architectural interest and propose design solutions. During the May 19 culmination event, the ARCscholars presented their ideas, site reflections, and independent design projects.  

Featured photo caption: The ARCscholars spring 2024 graduating class.