Many people believe that in order to afford an education, he or she has to live in wealth. They believe that fortune and high SAT scores are the two things that will guarantee them a spot in the well respected U.S. institutions. But I don't believe that. See, living with three siblings and my mother in a two bedroom apartment is insane. Being that our home doesn't have three floors and two bathrooms, my family is constantly arguing and in each other's face 24/7. But you know what else? We're closer to each other than any other family I know. We yell and argue but we motive and support each other just as much. We do not take each other for granted because we know that together, we have the potential to create a better lifestyle than what we do right now. Likewise, my EOF (Equal Opportunity Fund) family beloved the same. Educational Opportunity Fund — that's the literal definition of EOF. It is a program which was created in order to offer an opportunity for an education to students who cannot afford it, or do not have the support they may need in order to go for a degree as well as a future. But there's a figurative definition behind that abbreviation also.
After being admitted to the program, students are required to attend summer class and are also strongly urged to live on the campus in which their classes are held in order to provide them a general idea of what it is like to be a college student, before college officially starts. These students are given an advantage in that they are able to learn classroom educate, campus secrets, time management and so much more prior to when the other students attend classes in the fall. EOF students take two-three classes, each a semester's (15 weeks) worth of work, and are expected to successful learn the material taught to them as well as pass the class in the time span of five weeks.
The pressure and expectations are held extremely high for EOF students. Likewise, so is the support and motivation. Rutgers University does not only waive tuition, housing and fee charges for the five weeks but they also provide free tutoring and counseling sessions for students who need any kind of support. The Rutgers University EOF Staff did everything in their power to make sure their students would feel so comfortable to the point where they could call the University their second home. At EOF, I learned there is nothing wrong with having two homes. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when needed, because those seeking to help you are the ones who want to see you succeed. Those who challenge you, who push you out of your comfort zone and into a battle field you'd never see yourself in are the ones who believe you could be more than you see in yourself. I learned to keep those people around while dismissing those who do not believe in me, distract me and cannot motivate me.
Living with people who have the same goal as you, to improve the lives of the people they love most, teaches you a lot. You learn that you are never alone. You learn that while you may have to deal with struggles the people surrounding you do not have to deal with, there is always someone dealing with worse. You also learn to hustle for what you want; because those people may have the same goal as you, but you cannot let their hustle overpower your's. In fact, motive yourself through their hustle while acknowledging their hard work. Because hard work is rewarded with success. Hard work is late nights studying, early morning risings, mid-day run arounds and all day stress; hard work is also the key to a better income, a confident personality, an attitude aiming towards dedication and happiness for yourself as well as those around you. And who doesn't want happiness?
My experience entailed the hard work I speak of as well as the doubters DJ Khaled reminds everyone of. "They don't want you to see a better day." Well "they" are in for a treat. Because my EOF family taught me that "they" cannot stop me, only I could stop myself. I am the reason behind all my successes as well as all my failures. Only I know when I am struggling with that math problem or with home sicknesses. Nobody could speak up for me, I have to speak up for myself. Rutgers taught me that. I mean, this school is the type of place where you could be walking by Starbucks one day, bump into the cutest guy ever and never see him again. The school is ridiculously big, so it is up to you to make it feel smaller and more intimate. Get involved. Do your work, study your hardest, but go out and make new friends. I learned that stepping out of my comfort zone is the best way to learn, to experience, to network and to really get to know more about yourself.
Of course I learned how to factor out a polynomial, how to correctly cite another author and what American culture actually is, but the EOF program taught me a lot more than that. The program taught me that I could defy the odds of a "minority" not being able to attend college and create a better living for his or her family in the future. The program taught me to ask for help when I need it, because that is what the staff and my peers are there for. But most importantly, the program taught me that being a college student is a phase in my
life that many do not get to experience; I need to appreciate the opportunity given to me while taking full advantages of the resources Rutgers University offers its students. I live a life not many are lucky enough to live, and it is completely up to me to appreciate that. Opportunities come and goes as they please, only I could decide which are the ones that will enhance my future and which are the ones I need to turn my back on.
