David Fonth learned the meaning of social mobility while working for EOP admissions. Fonth, who participated in EOP and Honors College at Cal State LA, graduated summa cum laude this year with a bachelor’s in philosophy.
“I didn’t have much of a push from my parents to go to college, since they knew I wanted to go to college anyway. For the most part, I was self-driven.
My uncle is the only one I know of within my extended family who has gone to college. He’s an academic advisor for the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services. He told me about EOP.
I wasn’t as involved with EOP as I would have been had I not participated in the Honors College. They offered resources and aid similar to EOP. Usually, I would meet with my Honors College counselor as opposed to my EOP counselor.
With Honors College, you’re in a different environment. Everybody is self-driven and students have parents with degrees. It seemed like every Honors College member entered Cal State LA already mentally prepared for ‘real-world’ success. They are already, to an extent, capable of being socially mobile before they even enter Cal State LA, oftentimes due to the socioeconomic status of their families.
Having worked with EOP Admissions since my freshman year I learned that this is certainly not the norm for all incoming Cal State LA students. I learned that one’s degree of intellectual profundity need not be directly correlated to one’s social status; students who demonstrate academic potential may not always start their collegiate career in a comfortable socioeconomic state.
What EOP provides is the ability for students to advance in both areas, which is, in my opinion, vital for success in ‘the real world.’
Had it not been for my constant exposure to both kinds of students, I would not have had the appreciation and understanding that I currently do have for the intellectual and societal value of the EOP program in the lives of these students.
If I hadn’t been in EOP, I would not have been able to understand the meaning behind the phrase that Cal State LA is number one in social mobility.
It’s beneficial nowadays, with the current political climate, to have a broader social lens.”
David grew up in Glendale. He graduated from Glendale High School. He plans on returning to Cal State LA in the fall to pursue a master’s in philosophy. David aspires to earn a doctorate and become a professor of philosophy.