Alfred State student Christian Moore is a model of student success, “I’m really honored to have this position”
From the State University of New York, pictured is “Ambassador” Moore
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 and 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
Christain Moore is a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at Alfred State College. Christain is dedicated to making an impact on those around him. For his first two years at Alfred State, he was a nursing major, but throughout college he increased his leadership skills and started to realize his true calling in life is to be a higher education professional which caused him to switch his major. Christain hopes to encourage, advocate and give people a sense of belonging and security in themselves not only as rising college students but also as the professionals of the future.
Christain serves in many leadership roles on his campus such as President of Pi Rho Zeta fraternity, the Executive Vice President of Student Senate, and being an EOP peer mentor. Christain feels that it is his life’s purpose to pour into others as the Educational Opportunity Program has poured into him. As a SUNY EOP Ambassador, he wants to show the students of the future that while success is not always linear, it is possible, and it doesn’t matter where you come from, just how far you’re willing to go.
- 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.
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
