Alaysia Fulton-Hodo, a Bronx native, joined BronxWorks in search of a new and more impactful career. Prior to joining the organization, she graduated from SUNY Stony Brook University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and began a career in wealth management. Alaysia was the first of her family to attend college and worked hard to ensure she can support them. Despite her successes, Alaysia was not fulfilled in her financial career because she felt her work was not impactful for her community.
While working in wealth management, Alaysia regularly volunteered with local nonprofits, often in programs providing food access and other essentials to those in need. The enjoyment she gained from this work led her to consider a switch to the social service industry. With a desire to do more fulfilling work in her local community, Alaysia discovered BronxWorks and attended a recruitment event. She was then immediately hired as an Administrative Assistant for the Homelessness Prevention and Access to Benefits department at BronxWorks. One of the first projects Alaysia worked on was the BronxWorks Bring Back The Jump initiative, a series of double-dutch competitions for Bronx residents. Witnessing camaraderie among participants and staff during such a nostalgic and culturally significant activity brought her so much joy in her new role. These and other programmatic events further immersed Alaysia within her community and reaffirmed the impact of the organization’s work.
Alaysia’s strong work ethic and her skills in data organization and management earned her multiple promotions within the department, and she is now a Program Director for NDA4 and NDA9. The BronxWorks NDA programs are funded by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). In this role, Alaysia oversees comprehensive case management and benefits access for community members in her two districts. Alongside other staff, she also facilitates one of the organization’s bi-weekly food pantries, serving up to 60 families with fresh and culturally appropriate produce and goods. Alaysia has witnessed the immense impact of this food pantry within the communities she serves and shares that the demand consistently exceeds the supply.
“One of the biggest things clients say to us all the time is that we need a more expansive pantry… Especially with how things are changing with SNAP eligibility requirements, I’ve noticed that recently people seem to rely on our pantry more.”
Alaysia says her favorite thing about working for BronxWorks has not changed since she first started – seeing community members happy and thriving with the organization’s support. She views her work as empowering clients with the tools and resources to face challenges they thought they could not face alone.
“The work I’m doing here, it makes me so happy that I’m showing clients how to put themselves in the best position to then advocate for themselves in the long term.”
Outside of work, Alaysia enjoys taking time to relax with activities such as working out and playing videogames.
Alaysia Fulton-Hodo, a Bronx native, joined BronxWorks in search of a new and more impactful career. Prior to joining the organization, she graduated from SUNY Stony Brook University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and began a career in wealth management. Alaysia was the first of her family to attend college and worked hard to ensure she can support them. Despite her successes, Alaysia was not fulfilled in her financial career because she felt her work was not impactful for her community.
While working in wealth management, Alaysia regularly volunteered with local nonprofits, often in programs providing food access and other essentials to those in need. The enjoyment she gained from this work led her to consider a switch to the social service industry. With a desire to do more fulfilling work in her local community, Alaysia discovered BronxWorks and attended a recruitment event. She was then immediately hired as an Administrative Assistant for the Homelessness Prevention and Access to Benefits department at BronxWorks. One of the first projects Alaysia worked on was the BronxWorks Bring Back The Jump initiative, a series of double-dutch competitions for Bronx residents. Witnessing camaraderie among participants and staff during such a nostalgic and culturally significant activity brought her so much joy in her new role. These and other programmatic events further immersed Alaysia within her community and reaffirmed the impact of the organization’s work.
Alaysia’s strong work ethic and her skills in data organization and management earned her multiple promotions within the department, and she is now a Program Director for NDA4 and NDA9. The BronxWorks NDA programs are funded by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). In this role, Alaysia oversees comprehensive case management and benefits access for community members in her two districts. Alongside other staff, she also facilitates one of the organization’s bi-weekly food pantries, serving up to 60 families with fresh and culturally appropriate produce and goods. Alaysia has witnessed the immense impact of this food pantry within the communities she serves and shares that the demand consistently exceeds the supply.
“One of the biggest things clients say to us all the time is that we need a more expansive pantry… Especially with how things are changing with SNAP eligibility requirements, I’ve noticed that recently people seem to rely on our pantry more.”
Alaysia says her favorite thing about working for BronxWorks has not changed since she first started – seeing community members happy and thriving with the organization’s support. She views her work as empowering clients with the tools and resources to face challenges they thought they could not face alone.
“The work I’m doing here, it makes me so happy that I’m showing clients how to put themselves in the best position to then advocate for themselves in the long term.”
Outside of work, Alaysia enjoys taking time to relax with activities such as working out and playing videogames.
