Pictured in center, Maria Tramo Investors Bank Assistant Vice President, West Trenton Branch Manager presents the Educational Opportunity Fund at The College of New Jersey with a $5,000 grant. Accepting the award are EOF staff Tiffani Warren, fourth from left, EOF Director, Kim Quick, fifth from left, EOF Program Specialist and John Marshall, third from right, EOF Program Specialist, as well as students in the TCNJ EOF program.
Students at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) like Passaic native Dalmiry Puello will have a little less burden on their academic shoulders this fall, thanks in part to a $5,000 grant to the college’s Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) from Investors Bank. The grant will help fund programs that assist students in adjusting to college life, through guidance, financial support and tutoring.
Puello, a 20-year-old political science major with a pre-law minor, will be a junior in the fall. She desperately wanted to attend TCNJ, but as the fourth sister in a single-parent home, she didn’t think it would be possible until she received an EOF scholarship.
For Puello, one of the most beneficial program offerings was EOF Career Day, when she was able to network with successful alumni. Other assistance includes help in obtaining internships, a mentor with whom she still communicates, course selection help, financial assistance and help speaking with her professors, as she says she sometimes has trouble breaking out of her shell. Puello is set to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May 2016, a year earlier than expected.
EOF at TCNJ applied for the grant from Investors Foundation, which supports non-profit organizations that enrich diverse communities served by the bank. This is the second year Investors has supported the program, and this year the amount donated increased by $2,000.
For four decades, the EOF at The College of New Jersey has helped assist more than 1,200 graduates realize their aspirations and dreams. Currently, the program provides resources for nearly 400 students.
EOF is more than just a financial package – it is a full program of academic and personal support. Benefits for students also include advice and help with course selection, counsel on selecting and planning for a career, individual tutoring and study groups, a personal enrollment-to-graduation adviser, financial aid, cultural and career field trips and a personal faculty adviser. This summer, 84 students are spending five weeks on campus, and year-round the program offers academic support services to improve persistence, retention, and graduation rates, which include a Personalized Education Plan, Guided and Personalized Support Workshops, and supplemental instruction to promote academic success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
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