The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is a retention-based program dedicated to holistically supporting all students, with a focus on serving first-generation and income-eligible undergraduates. We offer an extensive range of student support services to help students navigate all aspects of their undergraduate experience through counseling and peer mentorship, cultural resource centers, AS/EOP grants, and year-round programming. We proudly provide a community and space that feels like a "home away from home" for many of our students. As we celebrate another year in our journey, we were honored to hear from EOP alumni from various generations. Now serving as dedicated and accomplished leaders in their respective communities, they shared how EOP shaped their lives during and after UCSB.

After several interviews, a transferable skill alumni shared they gained through EOP is teamwork and collaboration. EOP programming helped alumni experience the value and impact of working with diverse partners. These experiences also helped them identify and understand their own strengths while valuing the unique strengths, contributions, and intersecting identities of individuals within and beyond EOP. Additionally, alumni recognized how connections made within our department have opened doors to new insights, perspectives, opportunities, connections, and led to respective career paths rooted in social justice and service.

Alumni also described ways that EOP influenced their commitment to responsible leadership. Alumni underscored how EOP helped them learn the value of staying informed about political shifts on a local and global scale, understanding impacts on the communities they serve. This social and political awareness has empowered students and alumni to respond responsibly and equitably to challenges. One alum’s journey demonstrated how the systemic injustices they experienced were contrasted by the uplifting support they received through EOP. This inspired them to work as an EOP Peer Mentor and pursue a career in Educational Social Work. Another alum emphasized the reciprocal nature of service and leadership cultivated by EOP, highlighting the cycle of receiving support while giving back and supporting others.