Christian Anderson

When I think of EOP, I think of registering for college my senior year in high school. I was in a program called Upward Bound which gave me a lot of support during my high school years. Being a first generation college student I knew I was going to need a support system especially going to school away from home. I would come to know my EOP mentor and advisor to be some of the most persistent and encouraging people in my college career. I am someone that likes to be ahead of things, so I can make adjustments when bumps come up, and they were essential to figuring out registering and managing time.

An accomplishment that I am proud of as an EOP Student Achiever is that I am a well-rounded student. I am now in my junior year of school, I take 15-17 units a semester, I am a treasurer and active member of Chi Alpha (a student faith movement on campus), and I am also on the Student Service Team for Chi Alpha, and an EOP peer mentor. I know this sounds like a lot but I have become such a good steward of my time that I can manage to do all this in excellence. I will not commit to anything that I am unsure of being able to commit excellence to. This is only a result of practicing and being held accountable by my amazing family and friends. EOP along with Chi Alpha has helped me with accountability to stay on top of my commitments and take care of myself. I am now able to do all these things, have a social life, and have me time.

My words of wisdom for future EOP students would be, realize that adulting is a process. Sometimes the process is a little messy, that is why we have those people we can lean on and gain wisdom from. Get plugged in with a group that will not only hold you to the expectation that is set before you but will also help you achieve it.