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. | ||||||
Guadalupe Santoyo
Graduating Class
UC Berkeley, Class of 2006
Bachelor of Arts
High School
Mt. Eden High School (Hayward), Class of 2002
Current Position
Outreach College Advisor
Logan High School
Lupe Santoyo credits EAOP and especially her EAOP coordinator with helping make college a reality for her family. "Her support and dedication made our dreams come true," she says.
The first in her family to attend college, she is realizing her dream of graduating from UC Berkeley this spring. After graduation, she plans to be a middle school counselor to "help kids like me" make college a reality. Her ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D. in the area of social welfare and "work with kids from the same low-income communities I am from."
Looking back on her high school EAOP experience, she remembers her dad accompanying her to the EAOP office on the Berkeley campus to receive assistance with her appeal letter. "My dad waited three hours while my EAOP advisor and I worked on that letter," she recalls. "This was when he realized that college was important for me and for us.
"I don't know where my life would have been without EAOP helping me. My EAOP advisors were role models, supporters, mentors and advisors. They made me work hard and didn't take any excuses. They encouraged me to always excel more."
As an EAOP student, she participated in a myriad of activities, including the Master Student Seminar, the SAT Academy, overnight retreats and the concurrent enrollment program that enabled her to take two classes, speech and psychology, at Chabot Community College. And she brought many of the skills she learned in EAOP with her to college. "I learned to work hard, to challenge myself and how to get the most out of being in a college classroom, as well as how to manage all the work that comes with it."
When asked what advice she would give to a current high school student, she quickly responded. "There is definitely a college for everybody. I would say work hard and take all the classes that you need in order to make yourself eligible and competitive in order to get into a good college. There will be challenges, but there is always a way through if you keep your head up. And don't let anyone put you down."