Educational Opportunity Center
Program Overview
The TRIO Educational Opportunity Center Program (EOC) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Montgomery College has been a strong supporter and advocate of TRIO EOC since it was first funded at the college in 2002 to help low-income, first-generation adults (aged 19 and above) access postsecondary education. As one of eight federal TRIO programs, EOC seeks to provide assistance to eligible Montgomery County residents who wish to enter or re-enter college (vocational/technical programs, 2-year colleges, or 4-year colleges/universities), transition into a new career field, explore scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and more. Services are available in English, Spanish, and Amharic. Additional language needs can be accommodated with at least two weeks' advance notice.
What We Do
Our staff provides one-on-one and group assistance in completing the FAFSA, admissions applications, financial aid forms, and career explorations. EOC will guide participants through enrollment in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, GED preparation programs, and technical/training programs.
Prospective Participants
As a federally funded program, TRIO EOC is required to verify that all program participants meet the program criteria in order to receive free services. While participants are evaluated for eligibility on an individual basis, we encourage you to apply if the following general requirements apply to you.
- A current Montgomery County resident (does not apply to U.S. veterans)
- An adult age 19 years or older (with the exception of current high school seniors)
- A U.S. citizen, Permanent Resident, Approved Refugee, Approved Asylee OR meet the residency requirement for federal student financial aid
- Have not earned a 4-year bachelor’s degree in or outside of the U.S.
- Potential first-general college student (neither parent has a 4-year college degree)
- Low-income individual (based on federal guidelines)
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for our services, please contact the office directly.
TRIO EOC offers the following free services in Englishnew window, Spanishnew window, and Amharicnew window to eligible Montgomery County residents*:
- Admissions Counseling
- Career Counseling
- FAFSA/CSS Profile/Financial Aid Application Assistance
- Financial Literacy Advising
- Free Official GED Practice Test
- Postsecondary Information & Academic Advising
- Scholarship Search
Our service options include one-on-one and group assistance in-person or virtually via Zoom.
Take a look at our program flyers here (PDF, 
) to learn more about our program!
Prospective participants interested in receiving free services must be able to sign and submit a program application.*
TRIO EOC Program Application
* If you are deemed ineligible for our services, we encourage you to contact Raptor Central or the Office of Community Engagement for further assistance. If you contact Community Engagement, please reference that
you were referred by TRIO EOC.
Our Community Outreach Efforts
Through our strategic outreach efforts, TRIO EOC continues to establish and cultivate partnerships that span Montgomery County. These valuable partnerships enable us to connect with and serve communities in need of resources that will empower them to achieve their academic and career goals.
TRIO EOC continues to expand our outreach efforts to include local organizations, agencies, and institutions that provide a vast range of services and support to individuals and families. Establishing a partnership with TRIO EOC can be a mutually beneficial experience that supports our program participants, and the clients, customers, or participants served by our partners.
Our staff continue to seek opportunities for collaboration with prospective and current partners to ensure that we excel beyond the needs of those we serve. Whether it is establishing a referral process, hosting an information session or workshop, or being a part of your event, we are committed to meeting your needs.
- Adventist Healthcare
- Avery Road Rehabilitation Center
- Career Catchers
- Educational Systems Federal Credit Union
- EQUUS (DHHS Partner for SNAP, TCA, and TANF)
- Ethiopian Community Center in Maryland (ECCM)
- GapBuster
- Gaithersburg Financial Empowerment Center
- Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC)
- Housing Unlimited Inc. (HUI)
- Interfaith Works
- Kingdom Global Church
- Latin American Youth Center
- Maryland Department of Labor (MDOL)
- Maryland Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
- Montgomery College
- Montgomery County Correctional Facility (MCCF)
- Montgomery County Drug Court
- Montgomery County HUBS
- Montgomery County Pre-Release Center (PRC)
- Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
- Project Access
- Rockville Housing Enterprises (RHE)
- Youth Build
- Streetwise
- Urban Alliance Inc.
- Worksource Montgomery
TRIO EOC works closely with our partners to create opportunities for individuals and families to connect with services at the office and out in the community. Our staff often attend outreach events to share program information and seek opportunities to connect with like-minded programs, agencies, and organizations that benefit the community.
If you would like to request our participation in an upcoming community event, please contact EOC Director Beverly Coleman at Beverly.Coleman@montgomerycollege.edu
To provide services across Montgomery County, interested participants can meet with our staff at satellite locations on select days of the week. If you have any questions regarding satellite locations and/or staff availability, please contact us at mceoc@montgomerycollege.edu or call 240-567-5644.
| Location | Address | Schedule | Languages Provided* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery College, Rockville | Mannakee Building 900 Hungerford Drive Suite 250 Rockville, MD 20850 |
Monday – Friday 9 am – 6:30 pm |
English, Spanish, Amharic |
| East County Education Center | 2221 Broadbirch Drive Room 137 Silver Spring, MD 20904 |
Mondays 9 am – 5:30 pm |
English |
| WorkSource Montgomery | 11510 Georgia Avenue Third Floor, Cubicle 16 Wheaton, MD 20902 |
Tuesdays 10:00 am – 5:00 pm |
English, Spanish, Amharic |
|
Montgomery County Pre-Release Center |
11651 Nebel Street Rockville, MD 20852 438 N. Frederick Avenue Suite 240 |
1st & 3rd Tuesday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
English, Spanish |
|
EQUUS Silver Spring |
438 N. Frederick Avenue Suite 240 Gaithersburg, MD 20877 |
2nd & 4th Wednesday 10:00 am – 11:00 am |
English, Spanish |
|
EQUUS Gaithersburg |
Gaithersburg, MD 20877 1400 Spring Street Suite 260 Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
2nd & 4th Thursday 10:00 am – 11:00 am |
English, Amharic |
| Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring | Cafritz Foundation Arts Center Room 255 930 King Street Takoma Park, MD 20910 |
Fridays 9:00 am – 5:30 pm |
English, Amharic |
TRIO EOC staff provide one-on-one or group support to address your academic and career goals. Prospective participants may schedule an in-person or virtual appointment to take advantage of our free services.
Office Location: Rockville Campus, MK 268
Biography
Beverly Coleman has served as the Director of Montgomery College’s TRIO Educational Opportunity Center since July 2014. She has dedicated nearly 30 years of her career to assisting low-income, first-generation college students and underserved individuals in pursuing secondary completion as well as postsecondary education and training opportunities. Beverly is especially proud of launching the Montgomery College Single Parent Conference in 2017, which expanded into the Family Empowerment Resource Fair in 2022. Outside of her work, she enjoys gardening.Language Provided: English
Office Location: Rockville Campus, MK 276
Biography
Anjenee Cannon is a proud Montgomery College alumna and Program Support Coordinator for the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center. She began her career as an AmeriCorps member and later worked in communications roles with Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the U.S. Senate, and Raising A Village Foundation. As a first-generation, low-income student who benefited from TRIO programs, she is passionate about helping others pursue their educational goals. Anjenee holds degrees from Montgomery College and Wilmington University and is currently pursuing a master’s in Higher Education Administration at Georgetown University.Language Provided: English
Office Location: Rockville Campus, MK 270
Biography
Pedro Mejia has been an Education Specialist at the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) at Montgomery College since February 2007. In this role, he provides critical support to Montgomery County residents, particularly those who are low-income and first-generation, to access higher education and training. His work involves assisting high school seniors, current Montgomery College students, and other county residents who qualify for the EOC program. In addition, he guides individuals through the application process for federal, state, and institutional financial aid, providing support in both English and Spanish.Pedro is an alumnus of Montgomery College and the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a visible and active member of the community, participating in local outreach and back-to-school events with other EOC staff. Outside of work, he enjoys hobbies such as Zumba, yoga, hiking, and biking.
Pedro Mejía se desempeña como Especialista en Educación en el Centro de Oportunidades Educativas TRIO (EOC, por sus siglas en inglés) de Montgomery College desde febrero de 2007. En esta función, brinda un apoyo fundamental a los residentes del condado de Montgomery, especialmente a aquellos de bajos ingresos y primera generación, para que accedan a la educación superior y a programas de formación.
Su labor incluye asistir a estudiantes de último año de secundaria, alumnos actuales de Montgomery College y otros residentes del condado que cumplan con los requisitos del programa EOC. Asimismo, orienta a las personas en el proceso de solicitud de ayudas financieras federales, estatales e institucionales, ofreciendo atención tanto en inglés como en español.
Pedro es egresado de Montgomery College y de la Universidad de Maryland, College Park. Es un miembro activo y reconocido de la comunidad, participa con regularidad en actividades locales de divulgación y eventos de regreso a clases junto con otros integrantes del personal del EOC. Fuera del ámbito laboral, disfruta de pasatiempos como la zumba, el yoga, el senderismo y el ciclismo.
Languages Provided: English, Spanish
Office Location: Rockville Campus, MK 282
Biography
Dr. Chernet Weldeab currently serves as an Education Specialist at Montgomery College’s
Educational Opportunity Center, where he provides comprehensive academic and career
counseling to low-income and first-generation individuals pursuing college or vocational
education. His work includes individual and group advising, both virtually and in
person, supporting students with enrollment and financial aid applications.
A seasoned educator, professor, and expert in Special Education, Dr. Weldeab brings
over 18 years of international experience across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
His work reflects a strong commitment to supporting individuals with disabilities,
immigrant communities, and multicultural student populations. He holds a Ph.D. and
MPhil in Special Education from the University of Oslo, Norway, and a B.A. in Educational
Psychology from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
ዶ/ር ቸርነት ወልደአብ በአሁኑ ወቅት በሞንትጎሜሪ ኮሌጅ የትምህርት እድል ማዕከል (Educational Opportunity Center) የትምህርት ስፔሻሊስት
(Education Specialist) በመሆን እያገለገሉ ይገኛሉ። በዚህ ሚና ውስጥ፤ በተለይም ዝቅተኛ ገቢ ያላቸው እና ለመጀመሪያ
ትውልድ የኮሌጅ ወይም የሙያ ትምህርት ተማሪዎች፤ እና የማህበረሰብ አባላት ወደ ኮሌጅ እና ዩኒቨርስቲ እንዲገቡ እና የገንዘብ ድጋፍ
እንዲያገኙ መምራትን እና ማማከርን ጨምሮ ሁሉን አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ እና የሙያ ምክር በመስጠት በትምህርት ሂደታቸው ውስጥ ከፍተኛ ድጋፍ
እየሰጡ ይገኛሉ።
በኮሌጆች እና ዩኒቨርሲቲዎች በማስተማር እና በትምህርት ማማከር ላይ የረጅም ዓመታት ልምድ ያላቸው ፕሮፌሰር ዶ/ር ወልደአብ፤
በልዩ ትምህርት ስርዓት ጥልቅ የሆነ ተሞክሮ ያላቸው ከፍተኛ ባለሙያ ናቸው። በአፍሪካ፣ አውሮፓ እና አሜሪካ ውስጥ በማስተማር እና
በማማክር ከ18 ዓመታት በላይ ዓለም አቀፍ ተሞክሮ ያላቸው ሲሆን፤ ይህንንም ልምዳቸውን ወደ ሞንትጎመሪ ኮሌጅ አምጥተዋል።
ዶ/ር ወልደአብ የአካዳሚክ ትምህርታቸውን በኖርዌይ፤ ኦስሎ ዩኒቨርሲቲ በልዩ ትምህርት ሳይንስ የዶክትሬት (Ph.D.) እና ማስተርስ (MPhil)
ዲግሪዎችን የተቀበሉ ሲሆን፣ የባችለር ዲግሪያቸውን (B.A.) በኢትዮጵያ፤ ከአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ በትምህርት ስነ-ልቦና (Educational
Psychology) አግኝተዋል።
Free Resources
Education Resources
- AtWork Job Placement Agencynew window
- BigFuture: Explore Careersnew window
- Maryland Department of Labornew window
- Maryland Job Resourcesnew window
- Maryland Rehabilitation Services (DORS)new window
- Maryland Workforce Exchangenew window
- MC Career Coachnew window
- MC Career Explorernew window
- MC Career Search Resource Guide (PDF, )
- MCPL Resources for Job Seekersnew window
- Montgomery County Workforce Programs by LAYCnew window
- O*NET Interest Profilernew window
- Occupational Outlook Handbooknew window
- The Occupational Information Network (O*NET)new window
- S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administrationnew window
- US Bureau of Labor Statisticsnew window
- WorkSource Montgomerynew window
- BigFuture: Planning For Collegenew window
- Campus Toursnew window
- Coalition for Collegenew window
- College Boardnew window
- College Navigator: National Center for Education Statisticsnew window
- Educational Testing Service (ETS)new window
- Maryland Guide for Transfer Studentsnew window
- MEFA College and Career Planningnew window
- NextStep Universenew window
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)new window
- The ACT Testnew window
- The College Tournew window
- The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)new window
- The Common Appnew window
- The Common Black College Applicationnew window
- The Compas Guide to College Admission Testingnew window
- The PSAT/NMSQT Testnew window
- The SAT Testnew window
- The Universal College Applicationnew window
- Educational Systems Federal Credit Unionnew window
- ESFCU Financial Calculatorsnew window
- ESFCU Fraud Prevention 101new window
- Gaithersburg Financial Empowerment Centernew window
- VITA Free Tax Preparationnew window
- Catholic Charities - Basic English Classesnew window
- Classroom 2 Community ESOL Classesnew window
- Classroom 2 Community GED Programnew window
- Covenant Life Church ESOL Programnew window
- GED Education at LAYCnew window
- GED® Testing in Marylandnew window
- Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center - English Classesnew window
- MC Adult ESOL Programnew window
- MC GED Test Preparation Programnew window
- MCAEL Adult ESOL Class Informationnew window
- The Briggs Center ESOL Programnew window
- WorkPlus! English & Job Skills
- BigFuture: Pay for Collegenew window
- Fastweb Scholarship Searchnew window
- Federal Student Aid (Dept. of Education)new window
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)new window
- Gates Millennium Scholars Programnew window
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Grants and Scholarshipsnew window
- Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS)new window
- Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)new window
- Maryland Scholarship and Grant Deadlinesnew window
- MHEC Quick Guide to Scholarships and Grants (PDF, )
- State of Maryland Financial Aid Programsnew window
- Support Education Foundation Scholarshipsnew window
- The Bernie Scholarshipnew window
- The CSS Profile (Non-federal Aid)new window
- The Herb Block Foundation Scholarshipnew window
Community Resources
- Calendar of Food Distribution Eventsnew window
- MoCo Service Consolidation Hubsnew window
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAPnew window
- Women Infants and Children (WIC)new window
- Nourish Now Free Food Assistancenew window
- The UpCounty Hubnew window
Frequently Asked Questions
A: The Educational Opportunity Centers program provides counseling and information on college admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue a postsecondary education program. The goal of the EOC program is to increase the number of adult participants who enroll in postsecondary education institutions. (Read Morenew window)
A. No. Participants must reside in the target area served by an Educational Opportunity Center and meet certain eligibility criteria. For the TRIO EOC at Montgomery College, participants must reside in Montgomery County, be an adult 19 years or older (except for current high school seniors), be a U.S. citizen, Permanent Resident, Approved Refugee, or Asylee, and not have earned a 4-year degree in or outside of the U.S.
A. TRIO EOC is here to support you in pursuing your academic and career goals. Our staff are dedicated to providing you with individualized support from working to obtain your GED or high school diploma, registering for postsecondary courses, applying for financial aid, and more. By becoming a program participant, you will gain access to a network of free services and opportunities.
A. No. All TRIO EOC services are free!
A. Program participants are eligible for the program up until they graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
A. If you are not eligible for TRIO EOC services, we encourage you to contact Raptor Central or the Office of Community Engagement for further assistance. Please be sure to reference that you were referred by TRIO
EOC.
If you are a Prince George’s County, Howard or Baltimore County, or District of Columbia
resident, please see your local EOC below:
A. If you have questions, we encourage you to email us at mceoc@montgomerycollege.edu or call 240-567-5644. Please be sure to state your name and indicate the assistance you need in your email. Our email and office phone are monitored Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
Here is a glimpse of our staff out in the community!
