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The
Educational Opportunity Program
(EOP) was designed for students
who have the potential to
successfully perform
college-level academic work but
who do not meet regular
admissions standards.
Mike
Cohen, an EOP student in the
class of 1970, dates the start
of his “real life” to his time
at Central, and credits both the
intellectual and social
atmosphere. “It was okay to be
smart, and it was okay to be
different. It was even okay to
be smart and different. No
matter who you were and what you
were interested in, there were
people you could hang out with.
And soon you would know 100
people from all different
backgrounds who were active in
dozens of different things.”
A
former captain in the US Air
Force, Mike is currently a web
developer for the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts. According to
Mike, “Learning how to write
well is one of the two most
important things you can learn
in college. The other is to
“Learn how to learn. The job I
have today did not exist in the
1970s. There’s absolutely no way
I could have prepared for it,
other than by being willing to
continually learn new things.
“And that’s where the EOP comes
in. It identifies students who
have the desire and the
aptitude, and shows them how
college works, how to get along,
and how to do the coursework.
The EOP made an incalculable
difference in my life. Multiply
that by 40 years, and the
stories of all the other
students—I think the EOP has
probably repaid Connecticut a
thousand times over.”
Lisandra Rosario, a graduate of
Hartford Public High School, was
fortunate to hear CCSU Associate
Director of Pre-Collegiate &
Access Services Harry Pacheco
speak about the EOP at her
school. Lisandra spoke to
Pacheco, who encouraged her to
apply. She completed the
program in 2003. This spring
she graduated from CCSU with a
3.15 GPA earning a BS in
sociology and BS in Spanish.
She has accepted an eight-month
teaching position in Spain.
Lisandra found that EOP helped
immeasurably in learning about
CCSU, how to network, use campus
resources, and find appropriate
staff to assist her. She
discovered that becoming
involved in student activities
helped her become a full-fledged
CCSU student. She was secretary
of the Latin American Student
Organization and vice president
of the Spanish Club.
EOP
alumni have successful
careers in law, social
services, broadcasting ,
education, politics, health
professions, and many other
occupations. Charles “CJ”
Jones, the former director,
believes “EOP is truly what it
says: a summer that can change
your life.”
We
will be celebrating the EOP’s 40th
anniversary in August with a
three-day event bringing
together alumni, current EOP
students, and our staff. It will
be a great celebration not only
of the EOP’s success but also,
and more importantly, our
students’ success—in college and
in life!
For
further information about the
EOP, contact Pre-Collegiate and
Access Services (PAS) at (860)
832-1902 or visit us at
www.ccsu.edu/pas
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