“I love it,” said SBCC’s Marsha Wright. “I’ve got the best job on campus.”

An almost 28-year employee of the college, for the past 14 years Wright has been part of the EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) program — a state-funded initiative designed to provide academic support, financial assistance and encouragement for eligible academically underprepared students.

“Our motto is to provide above and beyond services,” said Wright, explaining that the program “came about from the civil rights movement when it was determined that students weren’t being given equal opportunities for a higher education.”

The goal is to help eligible students meet their educational objectives, whether they seek occupational certificates, associate degrees or transfer to four-year institutions.

“To qualify you have to be a California resident and have a low income,” she said. “Low income is a family of four with an income of under $33,075 …  and approximately 70 percent of the students we serve do not assess into a college-level math or English classes.”

The program serves about 1,200 students per year at SBCC. In addition, Wright also supervises three summer programs that specifically target incoming high school students, single-parent students and newly released inmates or people on probation or parole.


“The EOPS staff here is tremendous,” said Wright, who grew up in town as Marsha Smith, married her high school sweetheart, Keith Wright, and still plans her Santa Barbara High School reunions with a group of friends. Number 40 is coming up soon.

“We have student peer advisers who are used as mentors, and I describe them as our communication link to the program and to the student,” she explained. “Peer advisers communicate about important college dates, upcoming deadlines, and also seek out information from them. ‘How are your classes going? Are you having any issues? What’s going on in your life?’

“They then refer them to what we call SPAs, our student program advisers, our para-professional staff who meet with the students on a daily basis. There are lots of personal issues. We have domestic violence issues, we have alcohol and drug issues, we have economic issues, homelessness with our students being kicked out of places, not being able to afford to pay bills, losing jobs, so dealing with every day life situations … and then we have academic counselors who provide comprehensive educational plans.”

Wright says the advisers help students map out what classes they need to take, semester to semester, to achieve their transfer goals.

“Most of our students go full time,” she said. “I haven’t done recent statistics but it’s been always about 90 percent of our students work, many of them full time, in addition to going to school full time.”

EOPS also provides a tutorial program and a computer lab, since many of the students don’t have computers or Internet access at home.

Wright is understandably proud of the program and says it’s the generosity of the community — through donations to the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College — that has continued to make it a success while EOPS programs at other community colleges are struggling.

“Two years ago the state budget was cut by nearly 40 percent and it has not been restored, so at SBCC the college has supported the program by backfilling, and the foundation is very generous with the EOPS program,” she said. “The college considers this a core program. … I probably receive about $300,000 a year in private donations for these students to be able to be in school.”

Wright’s proudest success stories are her two daughters, who both attended SBCC and now have masters’ degrees. Erica, 25, is a social worker in Los Angeles County, and Andrea, 31 is a new mother to 1-year-old Aryah and works part time as a counselor at Mission College in Santa Clara.

“Having a grandchild is the best,” gushed Wright, who makes sure to get a visit in at least once a month. “I’m big on family. The best job I have is that of being a mom.”

She also believes in giving back to the community, and serves on the Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association board as well as the Endowment for Youth Committee. In addition, she teaches part time at SBCC — a college success class for single-parent students.

“I really enjoy it because we are able to talk about the success strategies of being a student and then how you use those skill sets to be more successful as a parent,” she said.

Wright says the students are her favorite thing about her job.

“It never ceases to amaze me the hurdles and the personal life challenges that they have and their drive and determination to be successful,” she said. “It’s just so exciting … I’ll joke with students and they’ll come and say, ‘Oh, Marsha, I got an A or a B.’ And I’ll tell them just do good enough to be able to put on my refrigerator.

“Their excitement when they come in, and the challenges and their passion to be successful … it’s just great.”

Click here to make an online donation to the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College.

— Noozhawk contributing writer Leslie Dinaberg can be reached at leslie@lesliedinaberg.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieDinaberg.