SUNY Chancellor King Announces Sixth Class of Educational Opportunity Program Student Ambassadors

October 7, 2026

20 EOP Student Ambassadors Will Advise SUNY Chancellor on Strengthening the Program from the Student Perspective, Inspire More Students to Seek Opportunities Through EOP

Information on EOP Student Ambassadors Can Be Found Here 


Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the sixth class of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Student Ambassadors. Twenty students from 18 campuses will serve as mentors to other students, encourage high school seniors to enroll, help build on the established student support network for EOP students across the SUNY system, and advise SUNY on ways to keep strengthening the program. 

"For 60 years, SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program has supported tens of thousands of students as they work to achieve academic excellence and upward mobility," said SUNY Chancellor King. "EOP students are models of student success and some of our most effective ambassadors for the affordable excellence SUNY provides. SUNY is proud to recognize the hard work of our EOP students and provide them opportunities to support their peers during their academic journey."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY can provide our EOP students with vital opportunities to support both current and potential SUNY students to pursue their dreams. Thank you to Governor Hochul and state leaders for their steadfast support of SUNY, and our students."

SUNY EOP Ambassadors are EOP students in good academic standing who are enrolled full time for the Fall 2026 semester. The student ambassadors will receive stipends of $2,500 per semester towards their financial aid package to carry out this role. Students selected to be EOP Ambassadors include:

  • Chriss-Ann Pryce, State University of New York at Albany
  • Haljazir Headley, State University of New York at Albany
  • Abraham Olatunde, State University of New York at Binghamton 
  • Emily Vasquez, State University of New York at Binghamton
  • Sebastian Adams, State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • Mark Hammond, SUNY Adirondack
  • Christain Moore, Alfred State College
  • Amaar Kelly, Buffalo State University
  • Lia Lazare, SUNY Canton
  • Tyrell Rivers, Corning Community College
  • Roosvelly Charles, Farmingdale State College
  • Tara Ventura Mercedes, Fulton-Montgomery Community College
  • Rancelli Burdier, SUNY New Paltz
  • Brian Amaya, SUNY Old Westbury
  • Ahmad Quadri, SUNY Oswego
  • Jesli Chopin, SUNY Potsdam
  • Jada Villanueva, SUNY Purchase
  • Arianna Sinclair, SUNY Sullivan
  • Keily Montes, Westchester Community College 
  • Khadijat Oladejo, SUNY Delhi

To serve as student ambassadors, SUNY students were nominated by EOP directors, and a committee comprised of SUNY system administrators selected each ambassador based on their demonstrated leadership, potential as a peer mentor, and commitment to the program.

The FY2026-27 Enacted State Budget included a historic $10.7 million increase in State funding for EOP. The nearly 60-year-old initiative provides affordable excellence and comprehensive support to help students from low-income backgrounds who did not receive sufficient academic preparation in K-12 — many of whom are the first in their families to go to college — succeed in earning a degree. 

Since its inception in 1967, SUNY's Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program has provided access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to students from low-income backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 59-year history, EOP has graduated nearly 90,000 students and evolved into one of the country's most successful college access programs. EOP eligibility is based on income and academic readiness. More information about SUNY's EOP can be found here.

Since 2022, SUNY EOP enrollment has increased by 21 percent, reflecting continued demand for the program and the confidence students and families place in its supports. At the same time, the most recent SUNY EOP outcomes show strong first-year retention for the Fall 2024 entering cohort across every sector; doctoral-granting institutions reached 90.1 percent, comprehensive colleges 72.3 percent, technology colleges 65.2 percent, and community colleges 64.5 percent. These results demonstrate that when EOP is adequately resourced, students persist, campuses are strengthened, and New York's investment produces measurable returns. 

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said, "Few people can tell a high school senior that college is possible as convincingly as a student who sat there. EOP Ambassadors know what the first semester feels like and what helped them get through it. Their advice will make the program stronger, and their example will bring more students through the door. I thank Chancellor King, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and the SUNY community for listening to students, and I congratulate all 20 ambassadors on their selection."

State Senator Robert Jackson said, "As a proud EOP alumnus, I know this program does something far more powerful than help students get into college: it teaches us that where we begin should never determine how far we can go. These ambassadors now carry that lesson into the lives of others. They are not simply beneficiaries of opportunity; they are becoming its architects, shaping a stronger EOP, mentoring the students behind them, and proving that the best public investments do not end with one person. They multiply."

State Senator Lea Webb said, "Congratulations to the newest cohort of EOP Ambassadors. As a program alum myself, I know exactly how important EOP is and how much it means to students. This program gave me support academically, financially, and socially, and it connected me with other like-minded students. EOP taught me that no one succeeds alone. Being chosen as a program ambassador is an incredible honor, and I know that this new role will inspire and empower all of them as they continue on through their professional pursuits."

State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said, "SUNY institutions have long been seen as gateways to boundless opportunities for students across New York. In partnership with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), families that look to SUNY gain not only an affordable option for higher education, access to state-of-the-art colleges and universities, but also a sense of belonging and community. Today's announcement of EOP's sixth cohort of student ambassadors showcases the program's success and instills in these students the concept of lifting as you climb, becoming mentors to others. Congratulations to the 2026 class of EOP ambassadors and thank you to SUNY Chancellor King for continuing the legacy of Arthur O. Eve."

State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, "Congratulations to SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program's sixth class of student ambassadors. The ambassador role is a role with great responsibility, mentoring other students and touting the benefits of EOP, all across our state. This work strengthens the Educational Opportunity Program and the SUNY pipeline. I hope our new ambassadors take that to heart."

State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, said, "Congrats to the newest cohort of student ambassadors of SUNY's Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program. Thank you for your willingness to build on the legacy of SUNY by mentoring incoming students and guiding potential new ones. As student ambassadors, you've gone beyond achieving high academic success to serve your campus community, including my alma mater, SUNY New Paltz. As the crown jewels of SUNY, you were chosen for your leadership skills and commitment to SUNY values."

State Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest said, "Congratulations to the new cohort of SUNY EOP student ambassadors! As a SUNY EOP alumna, I continue to tell others about the way SUNY EOP changed the trajectory of my life, and I know firsthand what it means to have that support system in place. I have high hopes for these bright minded students that will continue to demonstrate their mentorship and commitment to the program."

SUNY has taken steps to expand the support and resources available to EOP students. Last week, SUNY announced the expansion of the EOP Scholars Program for students pursuing careers in computer science, cybersecurity, and AI fields. In August, SUNY highlighted undergraduate summer research programs during a research symposium for EOP students. Recently, SUNY announced the expansion of the EOP Scholars Program, which provides comprehensive academic, financial, and mentoring support to ensure student success, to support students in fields including computer science, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI). The EOP Scholars Program was also expanded in February to support students in nursing and teaching degree programs focused on shortage areas, as well as in 2024 to include mental health fields and engineering. In 2021, SUNY launched the pre-medical Educational Opportunity Program to provide EOP students with additional support and mentoring towards their path to medical school.

To further support EOP students, SUNY launched a partnership with Kaplan to offer EOP students free access to comprehensive test preparation resources over the next three years, including practice tests, for graduate-level admissions exams and professional licensure exams. In February 2025, Chancellor King announced an EOP Career Development Internship Program in partnership with state agencies to provide students with real-world professional experience and skill development within a field that aligns both with their academic pursuits and personal interests.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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