August 18, 2026

by Lauren Ferguson

A decade ago, Janay Davidson ’20 and Jureyah Johnson ’20 met during the Educational Opportunity Fund Summer Studies Institute at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Davidson, of East Orange, NJ, and Johnson, of Newark, NJ, spent the summer of 2016 living on Ramapo’s picturesque Mahwah, NJ campus with fellow Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) scholars, building relationships, gaining support and readying to transition to college – where they would spend years learning and growing side by side.

For one afternoon this summer, the best friends were back on campus together. This time, to share their journeys and inspire the next generation of EOF scholars to follow their dreams.

“It is so nice to come back and show the students you can actually do what you set out to do. You can achieve it. It is possible,” said Davidson. After graduating from Ramapo, she went to law school, then spent three years as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society, before transitioning into civil litigation.

Her best friend, Johnson, now works in human resources for the City of East Orange. Johnson said the resources and support she received through the EOF program at Ramapo “helped me build myself up.”

Since 1968, New Jersey EOF programs have ensured access to higher education for state residents coming from backgrounds of economic and educational disadvantage. Ramapo’s program is bolstered by comprehensive support services and alumni connections to promote retention and progress through graduation. It features one-on-one advising, mentoring, academic support programs and tutoring, and financial support. It also includes the Summer Studies Institute, a five-week residential program which acts as a bridge to aid in a successful transition to college.

Johnson and Davidson were two of the roughly 15 EOF alumni that returned to campus this summer to take part in the EOF Legacy Lounge – where the 122 members of Ramapo’s incoming EOF class had the opportunity to ask questions of, network with, and learn from Roadrunners who had previously gone through the EOF program.

“I think it is really important for the students to be able to see alumni who were once in their shoes and see what their future is going to look like,” said EOF Student Development Specialist Tanadjza-Robinson McCray. She said the Legacy Lounge was also designed to help students build community with alumni.

The evening featured icebreakers, EOF trivia and dinner, as well as small group discussions that allowed scholars to learn from and ask alumni about topics ranging from mental health to study abroad to family expectations.

Incoming EOF Scholar Raheequel Laskar ’30 took part in a breakout session titled “Social Justice & Leadership: ‘Waking Up to Justice.’” During the session, Davidson, Johnson and fellow EOF alum Isaiah Gomez ’04 shared their journeys and advice.

“Hearing their stories gave me a stepping stone of what to expect, what I’m going to do, an example to go off of,” said Laskar, a biology major from Clifton, NJ.

Gomez shared that he came to Ramapo as an athlete, then got injured and could no longer play basketball. “But with EOF they told me that I am much more than that, so it inspired me,” he said. Gomez went on to earn his BA in Sociology from Ramapo, a MA in Urban Education and Leadership and a Doctorate of Education in Education Technology and Leadership.

“It’s been a great journey,” he told scholars. “And I am so excited, because I see it in this room. I see that there is so much promise in the future.”

This marked the second summer in a row that Gomez and his wife, fellow EOF alum Natividad Gomez ’03, were back at Ramapo to inspire new scholars.

Last summer, Harold Rodriguez ’29, was an incoming EOF scholar, soaking in advice from the Gomezes and other alumni.

After spending his first year at Ramapo as a law and society major in the EOF program, Rodriguez returned this summer to serve as an EOF supplemental instructor. At this year’s Legacy Lounge, he was still listening to and networking with alumni, but he was also moderating a discussion between incoming scholars and visiting alumni.

From his experience, Rodriguez said he has learned something important: “EOF is much more than just a scholarship, it’s a family that supports you in every step you take. Anywhere you find someone who’s EOF, there is a family member waiting to help.”

For more information on the EOF program at Ramapo, visit the EOF program webpage.