Hunter student Abigail Jimenez MHC ’24 has won a prestigious New York City Urban Fellowship and will be working next year at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Sponsored by New York City, New York City Urban Fellows is a nationally recognized, highly competitive, nine-month fellowship that explores urban issues through seminars and exposure to public-sector leaders. Urban Fellows work at city agencies, where they learn about public policy and work closely with leaders engaged in policy and operations.
A Political Science and Sociology double major, Jimenez was a 2023 Eva Kastan Grove Fellow at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter and has made housing justice her cause. Among other public-policy internships, she has worked as Housing Specialist and Community Organizer for “Woodside on the Move,” advocating for housing justice in Queens.
“Coming home to a working stove, warm water, safe building conditions, and a non-leaking ceiling are all privileges one often takes for granted,” Jimenez wrote in a personal statement. “Unfortunately, many renters in NYC and across the state do not get to come home to a well-kept apartment or home. Residents who live in large building complexes are often vulnerable to such living conditions due to neglectful landlords and property managers."
After completing the NYC Urban Fellowship, Jimenez plans to attend law school and continue working to help undocumented and unhoused New Yorkers.
Jimenez had help with her application from Hunter’s Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships, which has a stellar track record in preparing students for competitive scholarships and fellowships. In recent years, the college has produced two Rhodes, two Marshall, six Schwarzman, five Luce, seven Goldwater, and 39 Fulbright Scholars among many other prestigious awardees.
