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. | ||||||
Keith Curry
Graduating Class
UC Santa Cruz, Class of 1999
Bachelor of Science
UC Irvine
Ed.D candidate
High School
Venice High School, Class of 1995
Current Position
Dean of Student Affairs
Compton College, Compton, CA
As a high school freshman, Keith Curry had a stunningly solid "D" average and few real ambitions. Today, he is the youngest dean of student services in California and oversees an array of programs that affect thousands of students. Curry was recruited to the post in August 2005 from UC Irvine, where he had been the EAOP director for two years. He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation on educational partnerships.
"I am doing things today that I never imagined. It's challenging and creative, with opportunities for growth. I'm working with students and creating ways to serve them better. I'm very ambitious and I want to make things happen for myself, for my community and for the students who are going to be our future leaders.
"When I was a freshman in high school, I went on a field trip to Cal State Northridge and it turned my life around. I'd never been on a college campus, other than to the arena to watch a basketball game, but when I stepped onto that campus and saw students who were truly celebrating education, I knew I had to be part of that. My EAOP adviser knew that I was lagging behind. He provided academic advising, got me enrolled in summer school and got me started making up the courses I would need to go to college. By the time I had graduated from high school, I had a 3.5 GPA and was accepted at UC Santa Cruz, a campus I'd never even seen.
"When I was in college, I kept thinking that I would end up in a career where I would make a lot of money. I never thought I would be helping kids. I want to affect students' lives. I want us to have good leaders. It's really the only way we can be confident about the future.
"I know that my EAOP experiences helped me. Without EAOP I believe that I would still have been successful because I believe in taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. But I have more appreciation for college and for issues about college access because of my EAOP experiences.
"If I were to give a student advice about how to succeed in college, I would say: Don't give up. Take advantage of every single opportunity. Believe in yourself. If you really want something, you can make it happen, you can do it. Just don't stop believing in your future success."