NJ Students Honored for Academic Achievement in EOF Ceremony

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Student awardees listen to speakers at this year's Office of the Secretary of Higher Education/Educational Opportunity Fund Graduate Achievement Ceremony, held at Rutgers, where 1,465 students from New Jersey colleges and universities – including 328 from Rutgers – were honored.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

1,465 graduates, including 328 from Rutgers, receive awards

For 56 years, New Jersey’s Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) has helped thousands of students in need of financial assistance and educational support services attain college degrees in New Jersey. Nearly 1,500 of the newest graduates to benefit from the program, including 328 from Rutgers, were honored on April 19 at Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers University.

“Every year as we send into the world remarkable students like you, who have been given a valuable opportunity, seized it, and turned it into a college degree, we come closer to fulfilling the promise of New Jersey,” Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said at the OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Ceremony.

Jonathan Holloway at OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Awards
Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway addresses students at the OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Ceremony.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

Holloway joined Lt. Gov. and Secretary of State Tahesha L. Way and EOF Executive Director Hasani Carter as speakers at the annual event, which was hosted by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

“To be gathered here this morning, in this arena, preparing to earn your college degree and having a strong GPA besides, means you not only survived the pandemic’s challenges—you overcame them and thrived as a college student,” added Holloway, whose first year at Rutgers coincided with many of the graduates’ first year. “We couldn’t be prouder.”

2024 OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Awards Ceremony at Rutgers
Rutgers EOF SEBS awardees are congratulated as they walk across the stage at the 2024 OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Ceremony at Rutgers.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

EOF provides financial assistance and support services, including counseling, tutoring and developmental course work, to students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who attend one of the 42 participating institutions of higher education in the State of New Jersey. Undergraduate grants range from $200 annually to $3,050 annually depending on the type of institution and financial need. These grants are renewable based upon continued eligibility.

Amanda Bachan, a first-generation Rutgers-New Brunswick student graduating with a degree in ecology, evolution and natural resources who will pursue a master’s degree in business and science – life sciences at Rutgers Business School, praised the EOF program as “a community of scholars with shared academic aspirations that understand and support each other.”

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 Amanda Bachan (SEBS ’24) delivers the student speaker address at this year's OSHE/EOF Graduate Achievement Ceremony held at Rutgers on April 19 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

The EOF was created by law in 1968 to ensure meaningful access to higher education for those who come from backgrounds of economic and educational disadvantage. In addition to financial aid support, participating students receive some form of advisement/counseling, tutoring, supplemental instruction, student leadership development, summer/pre-first-year bridge program experiences and academic guidance.

Jacqueline S. Moore, Rutgers SEBS EOF director, welcomed the graduates and their families and friends to the ceremony. Also addressing the gathering were N.J. Assemblywoman Linda S. Carter (D-22), Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) and Byron Ward, EOF board chair.

Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way addresses EOF graduates at awards ceremony.
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way addresses EOF graduates at awards ceremony.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University
EOF Board Chair Byron Ward congratulates graduates at awards ceremony.
EOF Board Chair Byron Ward congratulates graduates at awards ceremony.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University
Jacqueline Moore, SEBS EOF director
Jacqueline Moore, SEBS EOF director, welcomes students and families to the ceremony.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

 

EOF Executive Director Hasani Carter
EOF Executive Director Hasani Carter addresses graduate awardees at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University