SAN MARCOS – Single motherhood. Low income. The demands of being a college student.
Tamara Nicoletti felt so overwhelmed she almost gave up on her dream of becoming a nurse.
DON KOHLBAUER / Union-Tribune
Trong Nguyen, a counselor with EOP&S, discussed available options with a student. The program assists about 1,200 low-income students at Palomar College.
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That changed after she talked to Lois Galloway, a counselor with Palomar College's EOP&S – Extended Opportunity Programs and Services.
“I will never forget that day. Lois swiveled her chair around and faced me and said 'Young lady, if there's anyone I know who can do this, it's you.' No one had talked to me like that before. It triggered something in me.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, Nicoletti took on a full course load while she was pregnant and later went to the University of San Diego, where she received her master's in nursing. Nicoletti, 44, works as a critical care nurse at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido and teaches nursing at Palomar College.
Galloway and other EOP&S staff encourage and inspire students who need it most. And they often do it by sharing their own life experiences.
Galloway was a single mother and a high school dropout when she enrolled in MiraCosta College. She transferred to the University of San Diego and earned a master's degree in counseling.
“I share my experiences. I tell them that I was an EOP&S student to impress on them that they can do it, too,” she said. “People need to be inspired, feel confident.”
The program began in community colleges statewide in the 1960s. At Palomar, EOP&S assists about 1,200 low-income students with academic and other support. To be eligible, student income should be low enough to qualify them for a tuition waiver, and they should carry at least 12 units.
Benefits include free textbooks, one-on-one tutoring and free parking permits. They receive guidance for class selection, career counseling and help with issues such as finding housing and child care. A pantry stocked with non-perishable food is available in times of need.
The program's staff spreads the word about the services by visiting high schools and attending parent meetings. They recently began to reach out to young men and women coming out of the foster care system.
“We look for the neediest of needy students,” said director Anne Stadler.
Among them are students on state assistance. There are single parents, high school dropouts and students with academic difficulties. Many are the first in their families to attend college.
Counselor Trong Nguyen starts by building rapport with his students.
“I try to get to the point where they are comfortable talking about any issues,” he said.
That includes short term needs such as finding housing and child care to questions on how to finance a college education. The son of parents who fled Vietnam, Nguyen often talks about how he overcame difficulties to get to where he is today.
“I tell them borrowing money for an education is not necessarily bad. The knowledge stays with you for life,” he said.
Business student Kylie Reed, 21, has found help with math and accounting, two of her difficult subjects. Her counselor also has helped her to find ways to cope with arthritis in her left arm.
“I was so lost when I started here but then I found this humongous support system,” Reed said. “It's not only academics but help with personal issues as well.”
Stadler said the program has had many success stories. Students have transferred to four-year schools, such as University of California Los Angeles and UC Berkeley. They are pursuing careers in fields such as illustration, graphic design and counseling.
Linda Elsner, an EOP&S alumna, works as a paralegal. When she returned to school to get her associate's degree, she was a single mother with three sons, had no car, worked at two low-paying jobs and couldn't afford student essentials, such as a backpack.
“It was the worst point in my life. I had nothing going for me,” said Elsner, 41.
But whenever she felt discouraged, Galloway was there to help her stay focused and on track.
“I told her my story and she put me touch with the head of the paralegal program,” Elsner recalled. “She would take me out to lunch and tell me I had to keep at it.”
To learn more about the Palomar College EOP&S, call (760) 744-1150, ext. 2449. The office also administers the CalWORKS student support program, and CARE, designed for students who are single parents.
