“The people from East Side House, they make you feel like they care about you. They back you up, and they want you to excel in life.”

A prominent café owner and coffee purveyor, Hector Carvajal got involved with East Side House during high school. He had always been motivated to become a business owner, but by freshman year, he had begun to lose focus. After his mother discovered he was skipping classes, she sent him to the Dominican Republic to work on his grandfather’s farm for six months. When he returned to the Bronx, Hector enrolled in Bronx Haven High School, where he learned about East Side House.

Encouraged by the nurturing relationships he was building with staff at East Side House, Hector’s attitude about his future brightened. “The people from East Side House make you feel like they care about you,” he says. “They back you up and want you to excel in life.” Through the settlement house, Hector was connected with an internship at New York Life that enriched his understanding of stocks, bonds, and life insurance and provided him with an introduction to the business world. As a student at Guttman Community College, Hector began to draw up a business plan for Don Carvajal Café, a local coffee roasting company with a global outreach inspired by his grandfather’s farm and the richness of Dominican culture. 

After graduating from Rochester University with a language, media, and communications degree, he was well-positioned to make Don Carvajal a reality. His company prides itself on sourcing ethical and eco-friendly coffee beans worldwide. The coffee is now available in over 60 grocery stores and coffee shops in New York and through Fresh Direct, Amazon, and Montefiore Medical Center. As Hector looks towards the future, he envisions growth, expansion, and his café. “I definitely see the world differently because of East Side House. There are people out there that really care about Black and Brown students like us,” he says.