Student David Mejias Receives Statewide EOP Award
December 16, 2020
Individual Studies student David Mejias was one of 45 students from around the SUNY system to recently be awarded the Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for Student Excellence for 2020. The award, now in its second year, recognizes outstanding students for their academic excellence and strength in overcoming significant personal obstacles throughout their lives.
All of the recognized students are part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at their college or university. EOP provides access, academic support and supplemental financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 53-year history, the EOP has served more than 75,000 students.
Mejias, from Watervliet, is the father of two school-aged children. He is enrolled in the Individual Studies degree program and aspires to attend law school. Mejias has earned a place on the President's List every semester he has studied at Hudson Valley. He has served as an EOP peer mentor for first-year students, volunteered for the Regional Food Bank and is a member of the EOP Club. He credits his continuing academic success to the EOP staff and is always willing to give back to the program in any way he can.
“The Educational Opportunity Program provides critical support that allows thousands of students each year to pursue higher education,” said Hudson Valley President Roger A. Ramsammy. “We are so proud that one of our own EOP student leaders, David Mejias, was among an elite group recognized for their perseverance and academic excellence.”
The honor Mejias and 44 other SUNY students earned is named in memory of Norman R. McConney, Jr., a graduate of the University at Albany and former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY. McConney, along with former NYS Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve, helped create the EOP program more than 50 years ago.
All of the award recipients were recognized at an online event held on Dec. 14, 2020 and hosted by SUNY Trustee Camille Varlack, Esq. and Jim Malatras, Ph.D., the Chancellor of the State University of New York.