The Power of a Multi-disciplinary Education: Yessica Vazquez’s Road to Housing Impact

Vazquez grew up in Brooklyn’s underserved neighborhood of Brownsville—home to the largest concentration of public housing in the nation. Her family lived in a building run by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and that experience taught her valuable lessons that still drive her work today. She saw how access to affordable housing can stabilize and empower families, but she also learned the hardship that emerges when housing systems don’t work the way they should. 

“Throughout my childhood, I remember repair backlogs, no water for days, no heat in the winter, elevators that were out for weeks,” she recalled. “There was no consideration for aging in place, so we used to help our senior neighbors get out of the building, and we’d check on them and get them groceries. It showed me what housing shouldn’t be.”

Her father had dreams of being an architect in Mexico, a dream he set aside to raise his family in the United States. Vazquez picked up that torch when she received merit-based entry into the prestigious High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, where she majored in architecture alongside students specializing in fields from animation and film to fashion and graphic design. Notable alumni of that institution include Calvin Klein, Tony Bennett, and Harvey Fierstein.

She wasted no time gaining practical experience during those years, volunteering at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum, interning and later working for the ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY, and serving as an architectural drafter at RTSPCPinnacle Architecture & Design. After graduating high school, she initially enrolled in a private college, facing financial constraints, she then took the opportunity to enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BS Arch) program at the UB School of Architecture and Planning, drawn to the university both because of its affordability and its strong programs in architecture and beyond. 

But as her studies deepened, a realization surfaced — she wanted to have a more direct impact on people’s lived experiences. “The built environment isn’t just about structures,” she recognized. It’s about people in the places they call home.”

Luckily for Vazquez, UB’s Hayes Hall isn’t just the home of the architecture department, but also the department of urban and regional planning—that’s where she discovered she belonged. “I had become curious about how people interact with the built environment,” she explained. “Environmental design focused a lot more on community vitality—I love studying social fairness and sustainable concepts and learning how they shape people through the behavioral lens of urban planning.”

She encourages students who similarly feel pulled in a new direction to listen to their instincts: “You don’t stick with one path if it no longer aligns with your goals. It’s a positive step to pivot when you feel called to focus more deeply on people and their communities.”

As she was considering next steps during her final year of undergrad, she met with students in the Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) program and immediately felt embraced. They encouraged her curiosity, urged her to take the real estate salesperson license exam while awaiting program acceptance, and even helped her study for her state exam. “I just thought it was amazing that people would do that for me,” she recalled. “I wanted to join the MSRED program because I wanted to have a physical impact on the environment around me. And now I do.”

On top of enrolling in the MSRED program, Vazquez also earned a Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing, a credential that now plays a major role in her work as Senior Housing Policy Specialist for the City of Buffalo Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning. “In my current role, I have to review financial stacks and understand where the shortfalls are and how we can help developers on that,” she shared. “Sometimes I even need to poke holes in complicated financial models. And in affordable housing, you have to know state and federal guidelines and their design guidelines. This program prepared me for that.”

Today, Vazquez leads all housing and community development efforts within the city’s Division of Development. Developers bring her housing projects, and she guides them through concept, financing, approvals, and implementation. Her guiding principles are clear: expanding affordable housing, supporting infill development, championing adaptive reuse, and aligning investments with local, state, and federal funding. Partnering with both developers and non-profit organizations, her goal is to ensure that they’re reaching the communities with the biggest need. 

She cites the Legacy Cities Infill Initiative as a highlight of her recent achievements. In late 2025, the Office of Strategic Planning awarded five community builders with contracts to replace vacant city-owned lots across Buffalo’s East Side with more than 60 new affordable homes and rental opportunities. Construction of those future homes will begin this year.

Over the last couple years, she has worked on affordable and supportive projects ranging from 300-700 units of housing, work that feels meaningful every time she sees those residents step into their new homes. “I like seeing people excited to move in when we do our ribbon cuttings,” she said with a smile. “Especially in supportive housing deals, we prioritize people’s safety and give them a fresh start to life. It’s so rewarding.”

She’s now worked under three mayoral administrations and is feeling firmly rooted in the Buffalo community. She’s also thankful to have a strong supportive network of UB alumni—friends who have helped her land jobs over the years and continue to act as a professional support system. “Networking is super vital in any field, but I think it’s not stressed enough,” she advised. In her free time, Vazquez volunteers as chair of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Young Leaders Group where she exposes young professionals to the world of land development and policy through networking. She also sits on the ULI Women’s Leadership committee.

While affordability was a main factor in Vazquez’s decision to stay in Buffalo after graduation, it’s the city’s character that has kept her here. “The people are resilient,” she observed. “While Buffalo has its own issues, including aging housing stock and disinvestment, Buffalonians have this grit and commitment to their neighborhoods. The city is also a great investment opportunity and ripe for change in terms of equity and diversity. I want to keep contributing my skills to make a difference.”