Meet Allison Dinh, Merritt College EOPS alum! From fearful to fearsome, Allison 'Ally' Dinh went from unsure about college to making plans for a master's! Being a single parent and working two jobs is tough, but she didn't have to do it alone; EOPS and the Merritt College community were there and helped her every step of the way.
EOPS is available to assist students with support services like early registration, academic counseling, career guidance, tutoring, book grants, transfer assistance, and tons more. The EOPS program welcomes all eligible students at all 4 of our campuses: Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College.
For more information on EOPS, or to apply, please visit: https://www.peralta.edu/eops
For more information on Merritt College, please visit: https://www.merritt.edu/
Below is a written transcript of the video:
"I was out of school for a while, and I was kind of scared to jump back into college. Doing everything by yourself – financial aid, how do I do that? How do I even sign up? Figuring out what classes you need to apply to, figuring out the paperwork, looking over everything by yourself on top of, like, life. I work two jobs, and I'm a single mom. One month, I couldn't pump gas. I found out EOPS gives you gas cards. I was able to get gas, I was able to not, like, struggle.
I think the most important thing that I wanted from EOPS was the one-on-one counseling. I could have a counselor that was there for me. I told her what I wanted to do with my life, and she mapped everything out for me. She told me what classes I needed. She just put it all out there for me, and it was easy to sign up for classes. They're there for you mentally, too. Even if it wasn't school-related, she was there. She cared about what was going on in my life, she checked up on me. Also, being a part of EOPS, you are able to sign up for classes before it gets filled up.
Everything about EOPS makes being at school more enjoyable and easier. Without them, navigating college would have been way harder. They're the reason why I'm graduating college. I will most likely go back to get my Master's, get my license in Social Work, and hopefully open up my own community center one day. If you're scared to start college, go to Merritt. Go to Merritt and apply for the EOPS program because they're gonna help you. I never thought that I would graduate or go back to school. I'm blessed; I'm about to go to SF State now, you know – oh, I can't talk. I'm lucky to be able to be a part of the Merritt community and the EOPS community. They're the reason that my life is gonna change for the better, for my daughter."
Editor’s Note: 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of EOPS. Students and alumni from each of the Peralta Colleges shared stories with the Board of Trustees at their April 8, 2025 meeting, and we will be sharing student and alumni stories about their EOPS experiences throughout 2025. For more information about EOPS opportunities, visit their websites:
