EAOP Alumni Profiles
EAOP targets low-income students attending some of the state's most challenged schools and puts them on track to a college education. EAOP empowers students to envision themselves succeeding in college and guides families with no history of college-going in navigating college options and the complex application process.
EAOP graduates attend all the UC campuses, including UCLA and UC Berkeley. Two of the top private school destinations are USC and Stanford.
EAOP alumni succeed in fields including engineering, politics, law, science, education, medicine, architecture, and business.
To read more about a student's EAOP experience, select a photo below.
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| Are you an EAOP alumnus interested in being profiled here? If so, please send an email message with your name and contact information to eaop@ucop.edu. | ||||||
Mari Bandoma
Graduating Class
UC Berkeley, Class of 2006
Ethnic Studies/Education
High School
San Leandro High School (San Leandro),
Class of 2002
Current Position
IP Paralegal,
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
In EAOP I met amazing people (students and instructors) who encouraged me to pursue whatever it was that I wanted to do, inspired me to do my best and made sure that I knew how to do so.
I moved to the United States when I was 12 years old and although my parents both have college degrees from the Philippines, they were not knowledgeable about the application process here. I was the eldest child and we really had no idea how important being well rounded was. We thought at first that I just needed to get excellent grades, so there was a lot of conflict between my parents and me when it came to anything I was involved in after school.
I had to work through high school in order to pay for college applications, AP tests, athletic uniforms and basically anything extra that my parents could not afford. So juggling school, work, volunteering, extra-curricular activities and family life was difficult. I developed amazing study and time management skills because EAOP staff encouraged me to be well rounded while maintaining good grades.
EAOP is the reason why I became competitively eligible and got accepted to UC Berkeley. I think I would have gone to college no matter what; I had good grades. But what really got me accepted to Berkeley was the fact that I was a well rounded student. I would not have known that I needed to participate in extracurricular activities if it were not for the advice of EAOP instructors and fellow students.
I participated in numerous academic enrichment activities through EAOP, including PCA (Pre-College Academy) and the SAT Saturday classes. I was never that good in Math, so taking the class in a 6-week course prior to actually taking it in school was very helpful. In addition, the College Writing courses introduced me to books that I would never have known about otherwise, provided feedback on my writing, and taught me different strategies and approaches to writing. I could not afford SAT classes and I give EAOP full credit for helping me get a decent score on the exam. Mostly I just remember being so engaged in learning.
Without EAOP I would be a completely different person. I was so grateful for the resources that were available to me in high school that when I went to college, I became involved in the student learning center, where I became a peer advisor. In college I also became a Youth Mentorship Coordinator with student-run recruitment and retention groups. That experience introduced me to my major and minor (Ethnic Studies and Education), which in turn motivated me to pursue a career in the legal field (I am applying to law school).
My passion is in helping and encouraging disadvantaged students to go to college. My advice to current students: Take advantage of the resources that are available to you. Don't hesitate to ask questions, and never doubt that you can do something that you put your mind to.