EOP alumnus gives back to program he credits with getting him on path to success

When Darwin Martinez ‘11, MBA ‘16, was a student at Binghamton University, he got into trouble and needed a helping hand to get back on the right track.

“Through the efforts of the folks at the EOP [Educational Opportunity Program], I was able to get out of my situation,” Martinez said. “I saw how much it meant to them for me to remain a student at Binghamton University, and I wanted to make an effort to show them that I deserved to be at Binghamton. They were very supportive of that endeavor.”

Martinez graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in the dual degree program in business administration and Latin American and Caribbean area studies (LACAS), and then got his master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He has worked in the insurance industry for over a decade and has operated his own Goosehead Insurance agency in Yonkers, N.Y., since 2018.

He is also a co-owner of Ship & Nity, LLC, a freight trucking and logistics business, which he started with two of his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers and fellow EOP alumni, Alade McKen ’05 and Copeland Richards, who attended the BEP program in 1999 and was an EOP student from 1999 to 2002.

During his time at Binghamton, Martinez fondly remembers EOP events like the potluck around the holidays for students and going to the EOP office to get work done during the day.

“EOP gave me a sense of community,” Martinez said. “There is such a large advantage in being admitted into the EOP program and having that community that welcomes you prior to your [first] year. Knowing where to go and who to reach out to during those first couple of weeks is such a big advantage. We were pretty exposed to the campus and the services the University provides during the summer session, before the school year even started. That gives EOP students a real leg up when it comes to getting acclimated to the University lifestyle.”

Karima Legette, the director of EOP, said that support from alumni like Martinez is helpful in securing the necessary funding to continue the program.

“To get to higher ed annual advocacy day in Albany, N.Y., EOP will send students by charter bus to the Legislative Office Building to meet with NY State Senators and Assembly members,” Legette said. “In 2019, members of the Binghamton EOP Faculty and Staff Advisory Committee wanted to assist EOP in finding support for students to attend this event.”

As an alumnus of the program, Martinez understands how it can be life changing for the students enrolled in it. That’s why, when students headed to Albany to participate in EOP Advocacy Day in 2019 to secure a budget for EOP for the next year, Martinez wanted to help.

“[EOP] needed to charter a bus so they could send students to Albany,” Martinez said. “They reached out to me. If I recall correctly, I was the first one they reached out to. What mattered to me was who called, and that was my friend Dominic Davy [a 2011 Binghamton graduate who had returned to Binghamton after military service and was pursuing his PhD]. He was also an EOP student who has since passed away. I told him, ‘Let me know what the cost of it is, and I’ll take care of it. Don’t even bother making other phone calls, I’ll cover the cost of it.’ That was one of my last memories of Dominic, and I’m really glad that I was able to help him make an impact in what he was doing in Binghamton at the time.”

During Martinez’s time at the University, people in EOP helped him get jobs on campus with organizations such as the Multicultural Resource Center and the Audio Visual Department.

“Don’t take those resources for granted,” Martinez said. “Take action, and don’t be afraid to use those resources; they’re not limited. There’s a world of people who exist outside of the campus, and they can help you and provide a wealth of knowledge, so tap into those resources!”

One of the people who helped Martinez during his time at the University was Legette, who was starting in the program as a counselor during his first year. Through help from EOP alumni and the staff working for EOP, including his counselor Vanessa Young, Martinez was able to get the help he needed to succeed, both in college and afterwards.

“You’re currently facing what other people already have; you’re not alone,” Martinez said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to the people in EOP, that’s what they’re there for.”