Natasha Rivera  ’21 (MFA1) 

The Emergency Scholarship Fund Kept this Working Mom on Track to Graduate When Crisis Hit

Natasha Rivera, a working mom from Harlem, was juggling her part-time job, parenting, and  finishing her second year of NYSID’s MFA1 program, but holding it all together until the first wave of the pandemic hit New York City in 2020. She was suddenly furloughed from her job. She says, “With rent, food and bills, there just wasn’t enough money for me to finish my degree.” Natasha had been fighting to forge a path to interior design for years. She says, “Interior Design wasn’t a career I learned about growing up as a LatinX girl in Harlem. I always gravitated toward visually creative work, but my family needed me to get a steady job, so I went into communications.” She landed her first job at Rent the Runway, where, working in marketing, she discovered her obsession with fabrics and color. She realized interior design was her calling and began to pursue her MFA at NYSID. When the pandemic upended her dreams, Natasha felt “panicked.” Fortunately, NYSID was able to step in and award Natasha an emergency scholarship which was matched by a corporate sponsor. Natasha, who graduated with honors in 2021, says, “This scholarship saved my degree and my future.” 

Like so many NYSID students, Abaunza is a career changer. She is transitioning to interior design from an early career in experiential marketing. Many career changers take on loans and juggle part-time jobs to afford their higher education at NYSID. She said, “Thanks to the Alumni Scholarship, I now can go deeper into projects without having to devote time to another part-time job. I will be able to pursue internships based on how they fit in with my future goals versus how they fit in with my financial picture.”

Abaunza, in her last year at the College, adds, “I look forward to being a part of NYSID’s forever community, and continuing the tradition of alumni who not only succeed but also return to share that success with students.”