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Westley Van Dunk ’74 graduated from ������Ƶ with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, but left campus with much more than that. He felt he had found his calling — helping guide under-resourced students through their college experience, just as he had been guided as a member of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).

“My time as a student with the EOP impacted my professional choices greatly,” said Van Dunk. “The EOP was a place of comfort where we would go between classes. The counselors at the time were people that we could relate to because they looked like us and they came from the places we came from. It was a culture that we could very easily relate to.”

After graduation, Van Dunk helped to continue and grow that culture as a professional staff member in the Binghamton EOP, serving in the department for three decades. He helped guide students through the college experience and onto successful careers. He most recently served as a senior academic advisor before retiring in 2015.

“I think the thing that helped me the most professionally was having an open mind,” said Van Dunk. “I developed the ability to listen quite well, and considered everything to be a teachable moment.”

Van Dunk took that attitude and imparted it on hundreds of individuals who passed through the EOP during his tenure, guiding them through the college experience and helping them to achieve their academic, personal and professional goals.

“As a counselor, I could share my experiences with the first-generation students coming in and relate to their feelings of being isolated or alone and help them through that,” said Van Dunk. “I would talk to [the students] a lot about the value of working their tails off, that there’s nothing wrong with getting a tutor, and help guide them to those resources.”

Van Dunk impacted the lives of so many, as evidenced by the crowded Mandela Hall in October 2023 as he and Vanessa Young ’78 were honored as part of the Binghamton EOP 55th Anniversary celebration at Homecoming. Both he and Young received rousing ovations as they were honored for their many years of service to the EOP and its students.

According to Van Dunk, his journey was never about the recognition he received, but about the difference that he could make. To him, helping people was not just his job, but his calling, “I’ve always been an avid reader, and now in retirement I read even more. I just finished a book that talked about ‘Dharma,’ which is a term from India. It basically means ‘your calling,’” said Van Dunk. “This — all the things I was able to do as an EOP staff member, helping people, especially the under-represented and people of color — this was my calling.”

To this day, Van Dunk is still active in the local Binghamton community, helping to guide those within the community, especially the youth.

“My mission is not done,” said Van Dunk. “Even though my professional career is over after retirement, I’m not done. We’re a village, and now I’m one of the village elders, if you will. The young people learn from us, just like I learned from my father.”