MMC’s HEOP Encourages Students to Strive for a Bright Future

Students in MMC’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and their families gathered for a reception in the Regina Peruggi Room.

Sotelo ’10, a sociology major, is a first-generation college student who chose MMC for the opportunity to gain a well-rounded future. 

“I went into college unsure of what I wanted as a career,” said Sotelo, who was born and raised in East Harlem. “I chose MMC because I knew I would be given the chance to explore many fields of study. In addition, the size of the school would help me develop close relationships with my professors.” 

Martha Southgate came to read from her book The Fall of Rome with our students in August 2008.

Since 1969, The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) has been an integral part of Marymount Manhattan College (MMC). The program has enabled students with academic potential who have faced financial hardship to achieve their lifetime goal of earning a college degree. 

The HEOP is a New York State funded program that supports five years of undergraduate study. The college access and retention program provides a supplementary form of financial assistance for students who attend private, independent colleges, in New York State, such as Marymount Manhattan College. 

Blanca E. Vega, director of HEOP at MMC, said she has seen how the program has helped students reach their potential and succeed in higher education. In the three years she’s been with HEOP, student enrollment has increased from 34 to 57. 

“We have a total of 12 students graduating this year,” said Vega, who is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, “and this includes students graduating in December 2009, May 2010 and December 2010.” 

All HEOP students at Marymount Manhattan commute daily. Vega said developing a social network can be more challenging for commuter students who do not live in the residence halls. She said HEOP students at MMC have a social and academic network that helps them be successful. 

“Many have expressed that they feel more connected to MMC because they have a family here, too,” Vega said. “HEOP provides students with a sense of belonging to MMC, a critical aspect to the retention of college students.” 

The HEOP at Marymount Manhattan College provides supportive services to all incoming pre-freshman and continuing students enrolled in the program. Supportive services include academic, career, financial aid and social services counseling; tutorial services; specialized academic workshops; and the pre-freshman summer program. 

The pre-freshman summer program provides a six-week academic and social orientation for incoming students. The academic program emphasizes strengthening writing and math skills and provides students with a transition to college level studies. The curriculum also includes cultural trips, guest speakers and workshops in library research. Along with developmental courses in writing and math, students enrolled in the program will also have the opportunity to attend a third academic class, which allows the student to gain three credits before the fall semester even begins. 

Vega said that race is not a considered decisive factor for admission to HEOP and that there is a diverse group of HEOP students enrolled at MMC who identify themselves as Latino, African-Americans, White and Asians, with Latinos being the largest group. 

“We are successful at attracting Black and Latino students who currently experience high, secondary-school drop-out rates and low college enrollment rates,” Vega said. “Programs like HEOP work because they attract students who are deemed ‘inadmissible,’ yet these are the same students who out-perform their non-HEOP counterparts.” 

Vega said HEOP graduates will have a positive impact on the economy and the job market and will encourage colleges to continue support programs, such as HEOP. Sotelo said she is grateful for the support and resources she received through the program. 

“HEOP has been able to offer me a college education in a great private institution in Manhattan,” Sotelo said. “Without the support of HEOP I would have been unable to attend MMC because my parents would not have been able to offer me a private college education. The fact that HEOP has allowed me to have a family at Marymount Manhattan College is what I enjoy most about the program.” 

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: December 15, 2009