Meet Colinda Stephens, College of Alameda student and EOPS Peer Mentor! The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) is a state-funded program designed to provide support services to low-income and academically-disadvantaged students to become successful in college. 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 the College of Alameda, please visit: https://alameda.edu
Below is a written transcript of the video:
"I initially was a part of the EOPS program in 2011. I've had some adversities in life that took me out of school. A year and a half ago, I wasn't able to walk; I was barely able to lift my head off of the bed. When I was able to walk with a cane, I came in and I got the support that I needed. I returned to EOPS because I was looking for resources, I was looking for support. Not sympathy, but empathy. I was looking for encouragement – somebody to hear me. People to meet me where I was at, so that it could feel like it didn't matter that I had a disability, or my socioeconomic status. Someone cared, and someone wanted me to achieve my goals.
I've been a 4.0 student. I did get my AA in Social & Behavioral Sciences, I'm currently working on my Business Degree. Whatever is happening in my outside life or my academic life, I'm supported. The one-on-one experiences with the counselors, they go above and beyond; they give you resources, tutoring when you think you can't make it in your classes. There are so many grants that you don't even know about. They do everything they can to encourage you to reach your highest potential. They have peer mentors that support you. You're able to be helped and be heard, and be motivated and encouraged that whatever you're going through, you can make it.
I work as a peer mentor at College of Alameda by direction of Louie [Martirez y McFarland, Project Manager of EOPS at CoA]. I am walking with students; sometimes you need somebody that has been through what you're going through. It may not be the same situation, but they understand going through adversity. For myself, I'm able to encourage and give them resources to reach their highest potential. I am a living [testament] that whatever you put your mind to doing, you can do it. There are resources out there for you, and there are people that care. EOPS granted me, I want to say, a wish. I needed help, they gave it to me. And you can do it, too. Just keep your head up, and [put] one foot in front of the other."
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 the rest of the Spring 2025 semester. For more information about EOPS opportunities, visit their websites: