Vibrant new mural celebrates 55 years of SDSU’s EOP

Be prepared for a colorful surprise this fall in the Office of Educational Opportunity Programs, Outreach and Success’ Learning Support Center.

Spanning the wall of the space is a vibrant new mural celebrating the history, mission and values of EOP, as well as the generations of students and families who are the backbone of its 55-year history. 

Rich hues of green, turquoise, deep blue and violet span the south wall of the learning center in the mural that includes depictions of influential luminaries such as EOP founder Augustine “Gus” Chavez and former director Reggie Blaylock, various key events, student protests and actions that ultimately led to the creation of the department in 1969, and current students and their families from various ethnic backgrounds under a sunrise and a banner that reads “First but not Last.”

The 47-foot-by-8-foot mural, designed and installed by artist Alicia Maria Siu, coincides with the celebration of EOP’s 55th anniversary on Aug. 31, when the mural will be unveiled publicly, said EOP Outreach and Success director Shareka White. 

White said plans for a mural in the EOP space started before the pandemic — after the office was renovated in 2017.

“It’s taken us years to get to the point where the mural was on the wall,” she said. “We wanted to offer some color and faces to the walls of the space celebrating the communities and the students and background of how EOP was created. It was also very important that all of the student demographics we serve were represented in the mural.”

Established in 1969 following decades of activism, the office serves students from low income backgrounds and historically underserved communities, including socioeconomically disadvantaged students and wards of the state and foster youth. Support includes academic, personal, financial aid and career advising; peer-to-peer mentoring; and special events and programming.

Over its 55 years, EOP at SDSU has grown from 300 students in its first class to more than 2,400 per semester during the 2023-24 academic year. Tens of thousands of EOP alumni have earned their degrees and continue to make a difference in San Diego and communities throughout California.

In 2023, EOP merged with Center for Educational Partnerships, Outreach and Success, which operates Compact for Success and the companion Compact Scholars program, as well as Price Community Scholars. Combined, those programs serve more than 4,300 students. 

EOP, Outreach and Success tapped Siu, a well-known local mural artist whose creations can be seen on several campuses statewide — including a prominent banner in the SDSU Latinx Resource Center — to bring the department’s vision to life. 

Siu said when she met with EOP officials to brainstorm ideas, she asked them to think about themes they wanted the mural to highlight rather than images.

The staff, she said, wanted the mural to show the history of how EOP came to be, the diversity of its students and how EOP can transform lives for not only the students, but their families.

To that end, the mural includes some very literal depictions of blue corn, symbolizing the efforts of farmworkers who toiled so their children could become the first in their family to attend college; a giant globe to represent the program’s global reach; a rose growing from the concrete to symbolize the strength of EOP students; monarch butterflies, a symbol associated with Dreamer students, and the Aztec Center bridge, which symbolizes how EOP students are bridges to the future for their families. 

One of the mural’s subjects includes a graduate in her cap and gown with her parents; a message written on her cap in Spanish says “Sometimes I cried, sometimes I doubted but I never gave up” — a tribute to the persistence of the program’s students. 

“I like to make a story really clear, so I hope when people see it they can read everything that is meant to be said, the values of EOP and the students,” Siu said. 

White said she believes the mural conveys the message of EOP very clearly and beautifully.

“It is beautiful,” White said. “It's awesome to celebrate our history because we definitely do stand on the shoulders of our ancestors. If it wasn't for the fights or student protests to create spaces and opportunities for students from marginalized backgrounds … we would not have this program or space to support our students.”

“We really want to make sure the space is a welcoming space and want our students to see themselves in the space, to build community and know they are seen and represented,” White said. “Being able to add the pictures and color and life into the office, I am excited for students to be surrounded by that and to know that they are loved and they are seen.”

“Celebrating 55 Years of EOP” is 1-4 p.m. Aug. 31 inside the EOP, Outreach and Success office, 2109 Student Services East.