Dennis Jalbert

Dennis JalbertRochester Institute of Technology
Class of 2009
Applied Networking and Systems Administration
Hometown: Westbury, CT

I understand that your time is valuable so I won’t make this letter any longer than necessary. I hope that what I have to share with you will help as you consider supporting the HEOP program.

My name is Dennis Jalbert and I am a third year student at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). I am eligible for the Higher Education Opportuniy Program (HEOP) since I was in an educational opportunity program at the college from which I transferred.  HEOP has helped me financially and academically.  The staff is very supportive. The people at the RIT HEOP office are the kind of people who care about students. Specifically, Kristine Shamp is always organizing events and sending out helpful emails about upcoming events. These events are for the benefit of the students such as the “resume writing” workshop that I attended last quarter or a “memory and visualization strategies” workshop. She knows my name and says, “Hi Dennis!” every time I walk into the office. Everyone in the office smiles and is happy which contributes to a nice atmosphere. I also have meetings with my counselor just to make sure everything is going well in school and life in general.

As far as financial support, HEOP has helped me immensely in paying for college. In addition to the aid I get for tuition, I also get a book check each quarter which is one less thing I have to worry about. My parents don’t have much money and when I decided to go to college, I knew that all of my education expenses would be my responsibility. As a student paying my own expenses, I don’t waste any money.  I realize the value of an education and do my best in school.

Academically, the HEOP office has helped me to succeed at RIT. The counselors are always there to talk to if there is a problem, or give advice when in doubt. They care about my success and are interested to know how I am doing in all my classes. Last quarter I earned my first 4.0 GPA which was exciting and the HEOP office was part of that success.

I hope these thoughts have been beneficial to you as you make your decision about HEOP funding. This program is extremely helpful to students, and many others like me depend on the support to pay for their college education.