If you are what you eat, than what am I? by Vicki Okung

I am Sunday breakfast. I am homemade hash browns with corn beef (Dad’s idea). I am Momma’s thick oatmeal, made to perfection, never too much water or too little, with butter to make it creamy, and just a little bit of sugar to make it sweet. I am eggs: scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or omelets with spicy peppers, mushrooms, and onions.  I will accommodate to whatever kind of eggs you like and will do a good job at doing so. I am Eggo waffles, for when momma is just a little too tired.

I am hope. Seeing me on the kitchen table brings a smile to everyone’s face. They all bow their heads, close their eyes and pray for me. They thank God for another Sunday breakfast, together. They pray that Momma’s hands will stay strong enough for next Sunday dinner. They thank God for daddy’s idea of corn beef fried in hash browns. They thank God for Vicki’s fried egg, Timma’s scrambled egg, and Eno’s omelet. They pray for the nourishment necessary to get through the day, and if this is the last meal they consume all week, they pray to God it keeps them nourished.

I am daddy’s hash browns with corn beef. Homemade. Mommy spent an hour cleaning me.  She never grows impatient, because she knew that if potatoes aren’t cleaned it will spoil the rest of the dish. She slowly peels those skins of my back, careful not to miss a spot. Sometimes missing and catching her fingers and cutting her fingers. She peels and shreds until her fingers are numb. She never complains because I am worth the sacrifice. She fries me till the perfect crisp, and adds a spoon of corn beef.

I am Momma’s favorite, oatmeal, always prepared just right. Carefully, she measures the oats and proportionally measures the correct amount of water to add, too much or too little water would make for unwanted oatmeal. Once I am perfectly cooked, she smiles and adds a hint of sugar, but never too much to spoil the meal. Finally, she adds a spoon of butter to make me thick and creamy.

Eggs define everyone in the family. Timma is the scrambled egg, as she has many different parts too her personality. Eno is an omelet, filled with onions, peppers, and mushrooms because she is a vegetarian. Nobody told her egg was considered meat. Finally, Vicki was a fried egg; Plain and simple, and kept to herself.

I am Sunday breakfast. I am the homemade hash browns with corn beef (Dad’s idea). I am Momma’s thick oatmeal, made to perfection, never too much water or too little, with butter to make it creamy, and just a little bit of sugar to make it sweet. I am eggs; Scrambled eggs, Fried eggs, Omelets with spicy peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I am what everyone anticipates for weekly. I am Sunday breakfast.

My idol By Molly Silvanic

If I could eat lunch with anyone, who would I choose? That question is and always has been a popular interview question. It allows the interviewers to get to see whom the interviewee admires and the interviewee gets to show off who they aspire to be.

I went for an interview a few weeks ago and I was asked this popular question. Without thinking I replied, "My mother, Terry."The woman who was interviewing me began to look sentimental, her face changed from a stern and strong look to puppy eyes, relaxed, and compassionate look. She looked me in the eye and said "I'm sorry about your mother, that must have been very hard for you." I looked back at her and said, "Oh no, my mother is still alive and well. Thank you though!" Her face changed from that sentimental look to a confused look, I could tell she did not understand. Her brown bushy eyebrows were raised and her dark brown chocolate colored eyes began to study me. Her pink chapped lips parted and she said " Oh no you must have misunderstood me, if you could have lunch with anyone in the world, dead or alive, rich, famous, etc. who would you choose?"With a confidence in my voice and a smile on my face I replied again, "I would have lunch with my mother." And before she could cut me off and insist that I didn't understand her question, I explained. "My mother is a single mother of 2 children, my brother and I. I was adopted when I was a baby and brought to her wonderful home where she cared for me and loved me my entire life. Nights when our power was shut off, she was on the phone arguging to give us one more night of heat, days when our kitchen barely had any food she would cook everything we had for my brother and I. She would allow us to eat before she herself was able to. Knowing we always had bills to pay, she would work everyday in a job where she was mistreated, judged, and overworked. I understand many people choose rich or famous people, Beyonce, Obama, whoever. But my mother is my idol, she is my hero. My mother has given me the confidence I need as a woman to succeed, to survive. She has shown me the difference between being a woman and a girl. She has taught me how to be a lady. That is why I value and look up to my mother. A person who I have never met and just seen on the television screen or heard on the radio could not teach me the things that my mother has." And with that the interviewer looked like she had understood. She continued asking questions while each of my answered were cleary spoken, truthfully answered, and strongly believed. I am my mothers daughter.

A Letter from your new Editor Molly Silvanic

EOP is stronger than ever. Our complex is filled with support, diversity, and success. There was many journeys abroad this past summer all over the world and all over the United States. Many of graduates have gone on to Grad Schools all over New York or have taken internships across the border. The blog this upcoming semester will be filled with stories of each success each EOP student has accomplished including stories from our incoming freshman class. EOP is not a our label, it is our misson.

Maria Melon My Life Changing Trip to Paris

When I first came to the University at Albany I became interested in studying abroad. Although I didn’t know where I would go or when I would go, I knew it was a part  of my college agenda. I started looking into different programs throughout my junior year until I finally came across the AIU Paris program. I was so excited; I automatically knew that Paris was my calling! During the summer of my junior year I was on my way to Paris for six whole weeks and I couldn’t have asked for a better summer. While I was in Paris, it didn’t feel real until the day I visited the Eiffel Tower. Being able to be there in person and see the tower for yourself is amazing! At that exact moment, it hit me IM IN PARIS!!!

Everything in Paris is so different; the language barrier was a bit difficult so I would walk around with a translation book to help me understand. The program that I was in was based on Fashion and journalism. Thankfully my classes didn’t consist of sitting in a lecture center for 45 minutes listening to the professor just lecture. My classes were actually hands on. For class we would have to design outfits, model the outfits, take photos of people and places throughout Paris, and visit museums. I loved both my classes because they allowed me to show my creative side. While in Paris taking these two courses I realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life, this is what I enjoyed. So when I returned to campus this semester I changed my psychology major to a minor and decided to focus on journalism and English so that I can prepare myself as a writer. Thanks to my study abroad experience I found my calling in life, I am interested in becoming a Fashion journalist for one of the prestigious fashion magazines in New York.

Langston Hughes Paper by Tre Branch

A page of writing that comes from the truth?  Weird instructions, I can already see.  However, I find writing to be soothing and drama free so I write to tell and reveal pieces of me.  Some are big and some are small but each one helps to show it all.  I fight, I struggle, and I overcome, these were three things I learned when I was very young.    Seeing my mother support the household all alone with no help made me realize independence was key.  Something I knew that would become a part of me.  Inspired to fight and reach for the sky I always walked with my head held high.  The word “no” didn’t stop me but taught me to see things differently.  In a light that was my own I walked head held high across the path.  Misery would not hold me back.  Determination from a young age made me see how much things could and would change.  Living my own life, one which I could grow made me feel as if sooner or later I would know.  A destiny I would chase not wait to be handed to me or put in place.  It was time to go and start something new a path that would hold to be true.  College bound and ready for whatever made my determination grow to be even better.  Living in a world that wasn’t free made me feel like it wasn’t a place for me.  A dreamer, a person, someone with a lot of faith took the world on and would find his place.  A hard worker, with a gentle pace I plan out my life with every step that I take.  A few friends here and there but over time I learned who really cared.  Drama filled and overwhelmed I made the mistake of giving, instead of taking.  To this day I still hate not learning from old mistakes and living in the past.  A human being with the knowledge and experience to grow I always knew it was time to go.  A place, a building, a different environment far away from here and one that would contain no tears.  A journey to be taken that would continue to help me find the light. SUNY Albany I am here so it’s time to fight to keep my destiny clear.  No regrets and no mistakes it’s that time to see and find my place.

Me by Lexus Ulter

“Me” seems like a big word,
What does it really mean?
Does it mean how I am or what my interests are?
I don’t really know how to define “me”.
I try to look at words to describe “me”,
Like “honest, outgoing, truthful, educated, kind and also shy.”
Those are just words, they don’t really say much about me.
I guess I can write about something important that will never leave my mind.
If someone were to wear my shoes for a day is the only way they would be able to know my story.
I am caring, can you imagine having to take care of someone you love dearly but you know their own sickness is killing them?
My great grandma was MY WORLD, but that world scattered when I found out she had to go to the hospital for treatment almost everyday and I had to take her.
I was only 12! What was I really supposed to know about cancer?
My great grandmother always told me “We are going to go shopping once I get better.”
She had a smile on her face while lying in the hospital bed with so many machines on her.
I was too young to understand that having a great grandmother at my age was a blessing,
I just thought everyone had one so I wasn’t special.
I didn’t know how much she meant to me till I lost her…
From that day on, I learned to appreciate my family,
No matter how much they make me want to pull my hair out.
To know the things in my head are to know my past and my past is a part of me.

Class of 2011! By Molly Silvanic

Congradulations to all graduationing seniors on behalf of all the other classes! You all looked beautiful on Senior Night and we are all very proud of each of you. You all have proven why EOP needs to be on college campuses and what makes EOP so successful. We wish you all success and happiness in your future internships, job opportunities, and/or grad schools.  I would like to thank each and everyone of you for also "setting the bar" for every other class. Not only does your success encourage us to pursue our goals but you have encouraged us to pursue an identity on this campus. Many of you have been academically our role models but also have been involved in many groups, set up events, involved in eboards, etc. that each and every other class will strive to be as successful and involved as you all were. Thank you for your friendship, support, dedication, and success you have given this program, each other, and this campus! Good luck in everything that you do. Remember to always give back to those who give to you and keep EOP in your heart, mind, and soul. It is not always about where you came from but where you are going and I am positive all of you are going in the right direction. Congradulations class of 2011!

Love your EOP Brothers and Sisters