After five weeks, two college classes and eight specialized workshops, a dozen students completed the Educational Opportunity Program to join the ranks of SUNY Maritime College’s freshman class.

The program ended with a closing ceremony during which each student received a certificate and congratulations from several college administrators, including Rear Adm. Michael Alfultis, president of SUNY Maritime.

“Congratulations for the choice you made to start college early when all your friends are goofing off. With two classes under your belt, you are ready and you will start the semester better than your peers,” Rear Adm. Alfultis said. “Stay as focused during the school year as you have this summer. Remember the opportunity you’ve been given and take advantage of it.”

The State University of New York administers the Educational Opportunity Program and provides grants to the college so students can attend the five-week residential program for free. The program allows at-risk students from New York a chance to start classes early and be better prepared for college’s higher academic standards.

At Maritime, a dozen students lived on campus and took college-level math and English. They also got the chance to become familiar with the campus, its various student-support services, and got to know their classmates in advance.

The students attended workshops to help them build study skills and teamwork skills, and to learn about financial aid and Maritime’s academic majors. A group of recent Maritime graduates who were in the EOP program came back to talk to them, and a senior from the EOP program spoke to them about self-motivation.

Since 2012, every student who has come to SUNY Maritime through EOP has graduated the five-week program. Approximately 90 students have come to Maritime through EOP in that period.

“This program gives these students the chance to show themselves what they can do,” said Laurie Zinberg, program coordinator. “Every summer the people are different but they still come together, no matter what. We become a family. I’m so excited to see what they do the next four years.”