Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of the Evelyn Linares Legacy Scholarship during this year’s SOMOS Reception at the Executive Mansion — a $50,000 fund housed at CUNY City College and directed at rising seniors who are pursuing careers in teaching. The announcement places a name and a story at the center of what has become one of New York’s most pressing workforce challenges: getting enough people into classrooms.
Who Was Evelyn Linares
The scholarship honors the late Evelyn Linares, a CUNY City College alumna and founding principal who dedicated 50 years to the teaching world. Her daughter, Mayra Linares — a CUNY Trustee — was present at the Executive Mansion to accept the honor on behalf of her family.
The fund is not named for a political figure or a donor. It is named for a career educator who spent five decades in New York’s school system. That decision carries its own message: that the people doing the daily work of teaching, at scale and over time, are worth commemorating in the same way that public institutions typically honor philanthropists and politicians.
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said the scholarship honors the matriarch of an incredible family and opens a door for the next generation of teachers who might not otherwise have the financial support to pursue that calling.
Where It Fits in the Hochul Administration’s Education Agenda
The establishment of this scholarship is in keeping with Governor Hochul’s commitment to “Continuation of Care” in education — a primary pillar of her affordability agenda aimed at ensuring students have the financial backing to transition from college into high-impact careers.
The Evelyn Linares Legacy Scholarship builds directly on the Carol Robles-Román Excellence Award at CUNY John Jay College, which the Governor announced during last year’s SOMOS Conference. That fund supports students pursuing Law and Public Service. The new scholarship at CUNY City College specifically targets teaching — filling a gap in a scholarship portfolio that is now growing to cover multiple high-need career tracks within New York’s public sector.
By adding this new fund at CUNY City College, the Governor is building a comprehensive scholarship portfolio for New York students.
This is not a standalone gesture. The Hochul administration has made sustained investment in the teacher pipeline one of its recurring commitments. In August 2025, the Governor awarded $14.4 million in Workforce Development grants to several institutions — including CUNY City College — through the Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program and the Alternative Teacher Certification Program, both designed to bring more people into the classroom through pathways that reduce time and cost barriers.
Why the Teacher Pipeline Is a Real Problem in New York
The scholarship arrives at a moment when New York’s demand for educators is climbing sharply. New York City’s child care workforce currently numbers between 33,000 and 40,000, and to meet projected enrollment under a universal child care system, it would need to double in size. A survey of NYC child care programs found that 52% of centers report new teachers leaving within five years, and a recent analysis found that the city needs to recruit at least 5,000 new educators every year based on average turnover rates alone.
That pressure extends into K-12 as well. NYC’s class size reduction mandate is estimated to require hiring an additional 9,000 teachers over the coming years, on top of the 4,000 to 5,000 the city already brings on annually to replace teachers who leave. The pipeline to fill those seats has not kept pace.
A major reason is financial. Becoming a certified teacher in New York is a process that involves graduate-level coursework, student teaching, and certification exams — all of which cost money that many prospective educators from working-class and middle-income families cannot easily absorb. CUNY has long been the institution that bridges this gap for New York City students: roughly 3,600 students across CUNY’s 26 campuses are studying early childhood education, and university officials hope they can help meet the city’s growing demand for teachers.
CUNY City College as the Home for This Fund
The choice of CUNY City College as the home for the Evelyn Linares Legacy Scholarship is deliberate. City College, located in Harlem, has one of the most economically and racially diverse student bodies in the country. It is also the institution where Evelyn Linares herself studied — making it a fitting address for a scholarship that honors both her legacy and the community she spent her career serving.
Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman said the scholarship removes financial barriers for students so they can focus on shaping the minds of future leaders, adding that representation in the classroom matters in Southeast Queens.
Assemblymember Karines Reyes called the scholarship a powerful testament to what is possible when targeted, community-centered initiatives are invested in — noting that representation in the classroom matters deeply for every child who sees themselves reflected in their teacher.
What Eligible Students Need to Know
The scholarship targets rising seniors at CUNY City College who are pursuing a career in teaching. Specific application details and eligibility requirements are administered through CUNY City College’s scholarship office, accessible at ccny.cuny.edu. Students already enrolled in CUNY’s teacher education programs and approaching their final year are the intended recipients.
For students weighing the financial reality of a teaching career in New York City — where the cost of living is acute, the path to certification is lengthy, and starting salaries are modest relative to comparable professional roles — a scholarship tied directly to the final-year transition into the workforce addresses a real pressure point. The Evelyn Linares Legacy Scholarship does not solve the teacher shortage. But it is a concrete step toward ensuring that the people most capable of becoming New York’s next generation of educators are not stopped by cost before they reach the classroom.
