Staff Spotlight: Samantha Dong (she/her)

Samantha Dong (she/her), EOP Assistant Director, EOP STEM/SSS-STEM Director posed smiling with trees behind her.

Samantha Dong (she/her), EOP Assistant Director and EOP STEM/SSS-STEM Director.

A photo with the 23-24 EOP STEM team celebrating another successful year full of programming!

A photo with the 23-24 EOP STEM team celebrating another successful year full of programming!

Pictured left to right: Gracie Osborne, Samantha Dong, Adrian Gonzalez, Alexandra Nuno, Kassy Estrada, Diego Gallardo, Ting Guo, Jannealle Brambila, Azucena Morelos, Vivian Rodriguez, and Rebecca Robles

A photo of TRIO SSS-Classic, SSS-STEM Scholars, and DSP Scholars teams at our first ever National TRIO Day Celebration event hosted in Fall 2024.

A photo of TRIO SSS-Classic, SSS-STEM Scholars, and DSP Scholars teams at our first ever National TRIO Day Celebration event hosted in Fall 2024. 

Pictures left to right: Adrian Gonzalez, Rebecca Robles, Peter Le, Samantha Dong, Marcos Ramos, Paisley Rosengren, and Rochelle Barnes

May 14, 2025

EOP Assistant Director, SSS-STEM Director

How long have you been at Berkeley?

I've worked at UC Berkeley since 2014. I first started at the Career Center (now Berkeley Career Engagement), then at the School of Social Welfare, and came over to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) in 2018.

What do you love most about working here?

Working with our students and student staff keeps me grounded and has always been my favorite part of the job. Being able to connect one-on-one with them and learning about their journeys and dreams has always been so powerful and inspiring.

What's your job?

I currently serve as the EOP Assistant Director as well as the EOP STEM/SSS-STEM Scholars Program Director.

What's a great day at work look like for you?

A great day at work is having some extra time in between meetings to have more of those informal check-ins with staff and students. I've recently been a little more pulled away from the one-on-one student counseling appointments, so anytime I'm able to connect with our students or student staff brings me so much joy. And to make my day even sweeter, I'll treat myself to a boba during lunch for the ultimate pick-me-up!

Where's your favorite place on campus?  

I don't have a specific favorite, but I do love walking through campus, especially when the cherry blossoms are blooming :) 

Fun fact about me:

I have a three year old golden-doodle and two year old toddler who love to keep me busy!