How EOP shaped Jessica Samboy’s journey from student to leader

Jessica Samboy ‘08 vividly recalls the transformative experience of being part of Binghamton University’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), emphasizing how the program nurtured a sense of community, belonging and support among students.

“EOP created a nurturing communal belonging, community connection, fellowship,” Samboy said, highlighting the significant role of the EOP community, which consisted of peers from similar neighborhoods, social backgrounds and cultural experiences.

Many of Samboy’s friends were also EOP students, creating a strong network of like-minded individuals who could relate to each other’s experiences and challenges.

“We were coming from similar neighborhoods, similar social backgrounds and similar cultural backgrounds,” Samboy explained. This sense of community helped Samboy, a Bronx native, adjust to her new surroundings, as EOP provided her with a safe space to navigate the cultural transition from city life to the more rural setting of the Binghamton area.

EOP fostered Samboy’s love for nature and introduced her to the nurturing, inclusive environment that Binghamton offered. The program’s open-door policy and supportive counselors, such as Westley Van Dunk, were instrumental in creating a space where students felt comfortable discussing their fears, concerns, joys and achievements.

“The doors were always open, the staff was always accessible,” Samboy said. “It was a space where I felt 100% comfortable to discuss a lot of levels of my fears, of my concerns — or the joys and achievements.”

Through EOP, Samboy developed essential leadership and networking skills. As a junior and senior, she took on a leadership role in the African Student Organization, serving as an ambassador who built relationships with other student organizations. This role honed her public speaking, networking and social skills, which serve in her current role as a community organizer, advocate and entrepreneur.

“We were peer leaders among students, the organizers of events, the purveyors of culture,” Samboy said. Her experience taught the value of creating meaningful and valuable connections with others, regardless of ethnic, cultural or religious differences.

The program’s influence extended beyond graduation, shaping Samboy’s professional life and community involvement. As the chair of Binghamton’s Alumni of Color Network, she continues to apply the values of connection, relationship-building and inclusivity that were fostered at Binghamton.

EOP’s impact is evident in her commitment to creating meaningful connections and supporting the next generation of students.

“Creating connection, relationship, all of that was fostered at Binghamton,” Samboy emphasized, “And now that I have a chance to give back, that’s what I’m trying to do with the Alumni of Color Network.”

Samboy takes pride in the work that she and the Alumni of Color Network have done, and the power of setting an example as an alumni of EOP. For more information about the Binghamton Alumni of Color Network, visit the Alumni Association website or join the LinkedIn group.