Building community and confidence
First-year student Gavin Thomas Walters is making the most of his college experience through EOP
It wasn’t the ideal start to a college career, but for Gavin Thomas Walters, things ended up working out. The first time Thomas Walters applied to Binghamton University, he didn’t get the answer that he was looking for.
“My application got denied originally with the FAFSA being switched from being paper-based to online,” Thomas Walters said. After clearing up an issue with the new FAFSA portal, Thomas Walters was accepted the next day and quickly committed to his top choice, Binghamton University, where he was also admitted to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).
Thomas Walters’s first experience on campus was EOP’s summer program: the Binghamton Enrichment Program (BEP). He was leery about the prospect of attending classes in the summer.
“When I first heard about BEP, I thought of it as an academic boot camp,” Thomas Walters said. “But I got here and it was nothing like I expected.”
Thomas Walters and his BEP classmates enjoyed a summer of learning, networking, preparing for college and building community together as they transitioned from high school to the University.
“It was so much community building — or really, family building,” said Thomas Walters, “We were all going through the same things, navigating the same struggles being away from home for the first time, and it brought us all closer together.” Thomas Walters credits BEP for preparing him for college academics and acclimating him to the University campus environment and culture.
“In high school, I didn’t really know how to study,” admitted Thomas Walters, “I knew how to do homework and take tests, and I did well in school, but to actually process and digest information was something that BEP taught me, and it’s benefited me greatly in college.”
Being a part of EOP and attending BEP has expanded Thomas Walters’s social network as well, “I take pride in it,” he said. “My EOP lanyard is always hanging out of my pocket and it becomes a conversation starter.”
It’s also given Thomas Walters the confidence to pursue other opportunities on and around campus. In his first semester, Thomas Walters has already joined the Men of Color Society and the Men’s Club Basketball team. “I’m one of two first-years on the club basketball team so it’s been fun to connect with some upperclassmen,” said Thomas Walters. “And the Men of Color Society has helped me build a network and be a better man. It reminds us of the space that we’re in and why we’re here.”
As a student in the School of Management, Thomas Walters has aspirations to give back to his family and his local community in Ossining, N.Y., once he’s professionally established, “Being from a relatively small town, there was always someone there to support me in everything I was doing,” said Thomas Walters. “I want to be able to give that back once I have the ability to.”
Thomas Walters credits his family — especially his mother — with instilling in him a strong work ethic, a thirst for knowledge and the desire to give back.
“She’s a woman who sacrificed everything to make sure that her two children had whatever they needed day in and day out,” said Thomas Walters. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I want to be there fully for those who were there for me when I needed them,” Thomas Walters added. “They gave me 18 years of their time and I can’t really give that back, but I’m going to try my best.”
Now finished with his first semester of college, Thomas Walters is looking forward to passing his knowledge on to the next generation of BEP students.
“BEP teaches you how to be an engaged student, to not just regurgitate information but to really understand it,” said Thomas Walters. “The resources and access that the program provides – it’s so beneficial and I definitely recommend it to anyone who qualifies.”