OLGA ROMO

As a late-start college student, I found EOPS to be my niche at College of the Canyons. I was impacted to see a program that extended a helping hand to students who normally would not be in college. As an EOPS student mentor, I have seen first hand how students succeed and attain their goals due to the aid and care received. Counseling 150 with Dr. Pamela Brogdon-Wynne helped me discover myself, as well as how I can use my struggles to help others. EOPS has given me the guidance I needed to attain my goals, with counselors such as April Reardon who was once a student in EOPS. This is a program with staff that has had struggles while overcoming those obstacles. You feel warmth and compassion as you enter SSC-117 because they are real genuine people.

As a student from a broken-home, who was in foster care, and attended 4 high schools, finding a niche was very important to me. I never became involved in any programs because I was afraid of others judging me due to my challenging life experiences. EOPS was the first program in which students have all struggled and everyone is aware of that, and they do not pity you. Instead, EOPS assists you towards a better life. It also continues to assist me morally and financially. I will use this scholarship to continue my education. I’m majoring in Sociology to become a Social worker and to become an advocate for foster care children.