How a spontaneous campus visit turned Davida Owusu-Achiaa from a disengaged student into a SUNY EOP Ambassador
In her youth, Davida Owusu-Achiaa '27 showed a lot of potential but lacked focus in school. Then the pandemic made things worse.
"I wasn't a very good student in high school and during Covid I got used to not doing much, and I went from an A student my freshman year to not the best student," she said.
So when her longtime friend Clad Sanon '27 asked her to join him for a visit to SUNY Potsdam, she jumped at the opportunity—not because she had any interest in college, but because it was the perfect way to harness her Ferris Bueller moment.
"Clad texted me and I was like, 'Oh, I'll get to miss school and have a valid reason?' School wasn't my focus," she said.
Davida packed her bags and boarded a Greyhound for SUNY Potsdam, riding up past Albany and through the Adirondacks to Northern New York. She was just there to have fun and keep her friend company, but when she arrived, the visit became a more personal journey than she expected.
"I loved the bus trip for Accepted Student Day. We had a bonfire, everyone was so friendly and it felt peaceful and quiet. It felt like another home," she said.
Davida attended workshops that outlined the financial aid package and provided information about the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), a support program for traditionally underserved students facing academic and financial challenges. Suddenly, attending college seemed like a viable option, one that would prepare her for her future. She wasted no time and committed to SUNY Potsdam right there on the spot. Clad could hardly believe it: the two friends would be able to start college together in the fall.
When she returned home to her high school in the Bronx, she suddenly saw academics in a new light. She stopped skipping school and started getting serious about her classes.
"That trip changed the way I was presenting myself in school, and I was going more often. Once I told my vice principal/advisor I was going to SUNY Potsdam, he said, 'Oh my God Davida I'm happy for you, because you have so much potential. I see that you're capable, you just got to believe in yourself,'" she remembers him saying. "I had a mindset switch when he told me that. Ever since then, I've been thinking about greatness and shooting for the stars. Success is what I'm thinking about."
Finding Her Footing
Just weeks after getting her high school diploma, Davida arrived at SUNY Potsdam for EOP's summer program, an immersive four-week residential program for new students. The fully funded experience, designed to help students transition to college life, was instrumental for Davida. She learned time management skills, took a statistics class, and formed new friendships through recreational events like kayaking on the Raquette River.
"The things I learned during the EOP summer program were really beneficial. We were introduced to all the services on campus," she said. "With EOP you have a whole support system, and there are so many people who want to see you succeed."
Davida Owusu-Achiaa '27, center, enjoys music on the Raquette River as a leader for the EOP summer program—three years after she first came to SUNY Potsdam as an incoming student in the same program.
The immersion program prepared her well for the fall semester, but like any student leaving home for the first time, the transition to college was still challenging.
"It was a hard adjustment, living away from family. I'm really independent, but the feeling that everything I do is on me—that pressure was a little too much. I was in class and I started to feel imposter syndrome," she said.
There were days when she had completed her assignments but wouldn't turn them in because she wasn't happy about the quality of the work. Luckily, her professors emphasized the importance of turning in all assignments, with the idea of making revisions along the way.
"My WAYS 103 teacher was my rock. She really helped me navigate those types of things. One thing that settled in my head was that professors are human just like me—you can communicate with them and express how you're feeling," she said.
During her sophomore year, Davida was asked to take on a statewide leadership role as a SUNY EOP Ambassador, representing both SUNY Potsdam and EOP at high schools throughout New York City. One of those visits was at her former high school, where she talked about the benefits of EOP and highlighted the College's emphasis on applied learning, supportive faculty, and the beautiful region where the campus is nestled. Her presentation made an impact—two students from her former high school went on to enroll at SUNY Potsdam.
"I was like, 'I made an impact!' Being a SUNY EOP Ambassador as a sophomore was a big deal; it's normally juniors or seniors," she said.
Building the Skillset
A senior in the business administration program with a minor in finance, Davida has benefited from the hands-on, career-centric approach of the program. In Dr. Joe Timmerman's classes, she said, he presents career paths at the beginning of the semester, then works backwards to give students the skills and knowledge to reach those milestones.
"I really like the business administration department," she said. "Dr. Timmerman is my favorite professor. I've been taking his classes since my sophomore year, and he had a big impact on me."
Class by class and semester by semester, she has been preparing for a wide range of careers in business and finance. During the Spring 2026 semester, Davida took Timmerman's Investments and Portfolio Analysis class—a course that allowed her to explore the stock market, select 50 stocks, calculate five-year returns, and determine whether certain investments were viable.
"You have different motivation because it's something that's applicable to your life, something that you can actually use. I want to be investing in the stock market," she said. "At the end of the day, I'm trying to get a job. Having the degree will help, but that's just the minimum nowadays, so what other things can I add onto my skill set to look marketable?"
Timmerman also helped her reframe the importance of her education.
"He emphasized that being a student is a job—that priority should come first. From him saying that, it started to re-wire my thinking about how I operate in general."
As an extension of her degree, she completed an internship with SUNY Potsdam's Office of Business Affairs. Starting with data entry, she was given greater responsibility, eventually overseeing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for dining services on campus as the College searches for a new dining services provider ahead of the current contract's expiration next year.
"My internship experience with Brent Parker [vice president for business affairs] was fantastic. As we were drafting a proposal to open bids for dining services this year, Brent said, 'I want you to put it in a student-centered focus, because this is a college campus and our dining services have to be accessible for students,'" she recalled.
Her RFP provided an overview of the College to potential organizations seeking the contract and asked them to share their vision for the future of dining services on campus, including sustainability initiatives.
"It fell in the realm of project management a little bit. I reached out to offices on campus to include info in the proposal. Within that one assignment of creating a dining service proposal, I was able to do so many other layers of things," she said.
Paying It Forward
Davida's hands-on work has extended well beyond the internship. She is also president of SUNY Potsdam's Women in Business Club, she works for the Office of Computer & Technology Services, and she has served as an EOP mentor for several years, giving back to the same program that helped her launch her college career.
"During the first week of classes, I would meet with all the EOP students, print out their syllabi, walk them through every class, and review their professors' office hours," she said. "Whenever someone has an issue with their bill, or something school-related, I'm always their first point of contact."
Her peer-to-peer mentorship has made a big impact on new students trying to find their footing on campus, a leadership role that aligns with her career aspirations after she graduates next year.
"I would like to continue in higher education as an advisor or working in a financial aid office, or just working with students in general—that's what I do best, showing up by helping others," she said.
As she wraps up her business degree this year, completing upper-division classes like Strategic and Global Management and International Business Finance, one thing stands out most to her: maintaining a strong belief in herself. Her positive outlook on life has helped her scale one hurdle after another, a mentality she shares with her classmates.
"Your mindset really matters," Davida said. "When you believe that you are destined for success, even if it feels like you're going to meet resistance, telling yourself with positive affirmation, 'you've got it, you can do this,' actually matters."
Article and Photos by Jason Hunter