Photo: Brandon Chew, ’14 Photojournalism
“If you’re from a high-crime city and all you hear is that you’re not going to make it, know that it’s not true,” says Daniel Harris-Lucas, ’14 Public Relations. Harris-Lucas was raised in foster care in Oakland after his mother became addicted to drugs. Today, thanks in part to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), a group designed to improve support of first-generation, low-income and historically disadvantaged students, he is about to graduate from San José State.
“EOP had a huge impact on me,” says Harris-Lucas, who was named SJSU’s first-ever African-American Homecoming King in fall 2013. “It’s a family. We support each other in major ways. When one of us wanted to drop out of school, everyone rallied around him. Last semester, my mom passed away, and my EOP family checked on me every day.”
From mentorship programs to career counseling, EOP provides enrichment opportunities as well as admission, academic, and financial assistance to help disempowered students find their power. “Without EOP I would have missed out on a lot,” says Harris-Lucas. “We have some tight bonds because we’ve been through a lot of the same things.”
As an EOP peer mentor himself, Harris-Lucas is committed to helping and advising other students. “If I help one person graduate, I’ve done something worthwhile,” says Harris-Lucas, who is applying to Georgetown University and Syracuse University for graduate school. “If people hadn’t helped me, I would not be where I am today,” says Harris-Lucas. “A gift to EOP goes a long way.”
Give $20.14 and vote for the program that the Senior Gift will fund!
EOP is one of three options for this year’s Senior Gift. To make a gift and vote for this year’s program recipient, download the Senior Gift form [PDF] or contact Carolyn Canete in SJSU’s Office of Annual Giving at 408-924-1782.
1. SJSU Alumni Scholarship Program
2. Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
3. The Student Emergency Fund