Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2017
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

23 OUTSTANDING PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS RECEIVE NYCHA-CUNY SCHOLARSHIPS

NYCHA announces 12th annual scholarship recipients to residents of all five boroughs.

NYCHA collaborates with the New York City Council and local partners to support residents pursuing their degrees.

NYCHA is proud to also announce the inaugural Kofi Hormeku Scholarship for residents of Brownsville, East New York and Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.

The 2017 NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholars with NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye, the Levine Family and the Hormeku Family

NEW YORK––Today, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) honored 23 residents with a scholarship to support their academic efforts at City University of New York (CUNY) campuses. This is the 12th annual NYCHA-CUNY Scholars program, which recognizes residents from all five boroughs for their commitment to furthering their education.

“Education is key to supporting residents achieve their potential with programs like the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarships,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “We are proud of these 23 dedicated students and are honored to support them on their journey.”

The NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholars program was founded to help those striving to improve their futures. Many of these residents have already overcome serious obstacles to enroll in a full-time academic program and the Authority is proud to support these ambitions. Yawa Agbakla, a mother of four, was previously working three jobs just to pay the rent before she moved into NYCHA, which made further education a far off dream. After moving into Mott Haven houses, she was able to afford her rent with only one job giving her the time for pursuing her college degree. Other recipients discovered their career path through getting to know their NYCHA neighbors, such as Jesenia Rodriguez who aspires to be a financial investigator to protect vulnerable populations from being targeted. She grew up in Baruch Houses and is studying fraud examination and financial forensics so she can help look after seniors. Residents like Yawa and Jesenia are why this program is an important aspect of the diverse services NYCHA provides to residents.

“CUNY and NYCHA – two of New York City’s most important institutions – are proud to collaborate to transform the lives of families living in public housing,” said Chris Rosa, Ph.D., CUNY’s Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. “Indeed, through the NYCHA-CUNY Scholarship program, we are supporting the creation of the next generation of leaders for our great city.”

Launched in 2005, the initial scholarships were funded by fees NYCHA collected from production companies that filmed on NYCHA property. Today, NYCHA-CUNY scholarships are funded through a combination of public contributions by the New York City Council and private sponsors. The program has grown to include additional scholarships, including the Levine Family Scholarship, which is funded by former NYCHA resident and CUNY graduate Jeffrey Levine, and the Regina A. Figueroa Memorial Scholarship for residents with disabilities, which is named for a NYCHA employee and this year is funded by a NYCHA employee. New for 2017 is the launch of the inaugural Kofi Hormeku Scholarship provided by Nehemiah Economic Development, Inc., for residents living in Brownsville, East New York or Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.

All recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship that can be used to pay for education-related expenses including tuition, books, and fees. Recipients must be enrolled in a CUNY program full-time and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship program recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance, leadership and contributions to the NYCHA and CUNY communities.

Yanisleidy Magan, a Kofi Hormeku Scholar and Van Dyke Houses resident, spoke about her dreams at a Scholars Meet and Greet last month, “In 2027, I want to be a principal at an elementary school. I am studying early childhood education and youth studies, and I want to help young children.” She is a double-major at Brooklyn College.

Michelle Pereyra Reyes, a Levine Family Scholar and Adams Houses resident, who is studying Psychology at the City College of New York, described where she gets her inspiration from at the Scholars Meet and Greet, “I’m inspired by the thousands of undocumented children that come to this country to get a better education to make better lives for themselves and their family. I’ve met many undocumented students at CUNY that face obstacles every day, yet they manage to overcome many of them. There is nothing more inspirational, and the ambition and dedication these students have is truly motivational.”

Since 2005 the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship Program has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships. As part of the Authority’s ongoing efforts to support NYCHA residents in their pursuit of higher education, this year’s 23 scholars were recognized at a reception at Borough of Manhattan Community College on Wednesday, September 20. Speakers included, NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye, CUNY Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Chris Rosa, President of the Fund for Public Housing Rasmia Kirmani-Frye, Levine Family Scholarship sponsor Jeffrey Levine, Hormeku Family Scholarship sponsor Mawuli Hormeku, and Regina A. Figueroa Memorial Scholarship sponsor Tischelle George.

Hear from some of this year’s scholarship winners here.

The 2017 NYCHA-CUNY Scholars

Kofi Hormeku Scholarship

Marianna Cole
Unity Plaza
Brooklyn College
Accounting

Vanisha Cosby-Billups
Breukelen Houses
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Forensic Psychology

Sabiha Khawja
Breukelen Houses
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Criminology

Yanisleidy Lewis Magan
Van Dyke I
Brooklyn College
Early Childhood Education/Children and Youth Studies

Diane Simmons
Brownsville Houses
Kingsborough Community College
Nursing

Levine Family Scholarship

Jessenia Baez
Borinquen Plaza
City College of New York
Political Science

Jannatul Ferdous Brishty
Woodside Houses
City College of New York
Computer Engineering

Chanthini Butler
Fulton Houses
City College of New York
Psychology

Hatumata Gumane
Morris Houses
City College of New York
English

Hamad Haider
Castle Hill Houses
City College of New York
Chemical Engineering

Bianca Johnson
Wagner Houses
City College of New York
Childhood Education/Literature and Language

Xiao Mei
Campos Plaza/Triboro Preservation
City College of New York
Biology

Michelle Pereyra Reyes
Adams Houses
City College of New York
Psychology

Mahutin Paul
Castle Hill Houses
City College of New York
Mechanical Engineering

Belkis Pimentel
Melrose Houses
City College of New York
Political Science

NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship

Yawa Agbakla
Mott Haven Houses
Lehman College
Nursing

Geneva Hildago
Taft Houses
City College of New York
Psychology

Mohammad Zahirul Islam
Stapleton Houses
College of Staten Island
Psychology

Clara Peña
Butler Houses
City College of New York
Biology

Jesenia Rodriguez
Baruch Houses
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics

Margarita Santana
Tompkins Houses
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Law and Society/Dispute Resolution

Stella Tse
Vladeck Houses
Hunter College
Adolescent Mathematics Education and Business Management and Finance

Regina A. Figueroa Scholarship
Yekaterina Bourova
Stanley Isaacs
College of Staten Island
Accounting

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.