EOP graduate counselor uses personal experiences to connect with students
Arianna Mendoza ’20 broke new ground this fall, serving as the first graduate counselor to work in ϲ’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). While the position is new on this campus, Mendoza is not new to EOP. She was an EOP student during her undergraduate years and eventually formed strong connections through the program, which ultimately led to her current status as a second-year student in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
Mendoza’s first experience with EOP was through the ϲ Enrichment Program (BEP) summer experience, which she said was helpful in her transition to college. As a first-year student, she worked in the EOP office as a student assistant, but her more meaningful connection to the program was forged when she worked as a peer counselor for BEP the summer before her junior year. This was also when her career goals began to solidify, and the two were directly related.
When she first came to ϲ, Mendoza planned to go into medicine, but she soon realized that wasn’t the right path for her. She said she faced a lot of pressure from people at home advising her to pursue a degree that would bring in a lot of money. Accordingly, she ended up changing her major several times before figuring out what she actually wanted to do and what would be fulfilling for her. She settled on sociology, and on the advice of her EOP counselor, ultimately ended up applying and getting accepted into the MSW program in the spring of her senior year.
“My high school counselor even told me not to go for therapy or something like that,” she said. “And now I’m in social work.” Her experience working with new college students as a peer counselor during BEP played a big role in helping her come to terms with what academic and career goals she wanted to pursue.
“Everyone told me I couldn’t go to a university Upstate because my family didn’t have money — I should just go to a CUNY,” she said. “And I really didn’t have the money.”
But thanks to EOP, she was able to attend ϲ and be successful. While working with the students during BEP, she realized she wanted to help other young adults do the same thing. And thanks to her current role as a graduate counselor at EOP, she is already doing just that.
“I told Karima [Legette, EOP director] I really wanted to do anything I could to help EOP,” she said. “I didn’t care if it was paid or not, I just wanted to stay involved.” It turned out that EOP could really use her help.
“We had four open EOP counselor positions due to an Office of Opportunity Programs hiring freeze as we walked into an in-person fall semester,” said Legette. While EOP has had graduate students working in their Tutorial Center in the past, they have never had a graduate counselor, something EOP programs at other schools have had success with. Legette realized that Mendoza would be a great fit in this role, helping to support the professional staff counselors during what was sure to be a difficult semester.
“She has done a tremendous job keeping EOP students connected to the program,” said Legette. “Her stepping up to offer support to EOP students and the Division of Student Affairs support funding the position are two things that we are extremely grateful for.”
Mendoza said it took some time for her to feel completely comfortable in the new position, but she has learned a lot and really enjoyed working with the students. Many of the first-year students she has been working with are struggling with the return to in-person classes on top of the usual difficulty of transitioning from high school to college — an especially challenging feat for EOP students who often lack the support of family and friends who have been there before them.
She believes that her status as a recent graduate allows her to connect with the students in a special way.
“I was there in that chair, crying to my counselor,” she said. “I get it. I can tell them, ‘Look, I did it. These are the resources I used and the people who helped me.’ At first I wasn’t sure if I was doing anything right, but they kept coming back, so I figured I must be doing something right. They don’t have to make appointments to come back and see me, but they do.”
Mendoza hopes to continue working with college-aged students throughout her career, as she sees this as a really powerful time of change and self-discovery. Working as a graduate counselor has taught her a lot and fueled her passion to continue working toward her own career goals.