Tough Love from a Family Guy: EOP's Devon Vialva

Devon Vialva is the Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and Director of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). Vialva is a triple alumnus at CU with a Bachelor of Arts in history, his Masters degree in leadership and public administration, and finishing his Doctorate of Education (EDd) in May of 2025.

Even though he is a Centenary alumni, the assistant dean of Diversity and Inclusion, and director of EOP, who is Devon Vialva and his importance in EOP?

Why did you want to attend Centenary as an undergrad? And what was your first impression when you got here?

It's a crazy story. I was set to attend Montclair. I was locked in, because I always wanted to be a teacher.

I used to play basketball at different tournaments throughout Newark. Someone told me about this new basketball team that had just started up at Centenary. 

So I said, give me or send me an application. This was back when we still had paper applications. And he said “I have one in my bag.” He gave me a paper application.

My high school guidance counselor sent it and I got a letter accepting me into Centenary. I also qualified for this program called the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF). I had no idea what EOF was. I really didn't know anything about Centenary, and then I was like, all right, let me just weigh my options. 

I noticed that one of the biggest drawbacks about Montclair was it was so close to Newark. But it was also one of the reasons that I really liked it, because Montclair had accepted me and it was  close to home, and it was a program that I was interested in.  

However, I decided I was going with Centenary. I wanted to play basketball. It was far enough away, something I didn't know about. I can go and create a whole new identity for myself. 

So the first time that I came to Centenary was for a summer program, through EOF. 

I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea where to go. Yet what was appealing to me at first was the fact that I saw many students who looked like me and who were also there for the summer program. 

That was my real introduction to Centenary. When I thought of it, I was just, like, wow, this is different. This is definitely not what I was used to. 

It was something that I believed was worth the shot, and that's what I did. I decided to go with it.

Why did you decide to get your masters?

My undergraduate experience was amazing. Lots of ups and downs. A lot of realizing about myself. 

But it's also in proximity to where I met my wife; we lived in the area, and I was starting to build a career. I started to realize that I should make myself more competitive by getting more education. 

So, I began a master's program. It was a new program, and I thought this would be good, because I wanted to work with the public and have public administration and leadership skills. 

One of the biggest draws for me to continue at CU was it being my alma mater and taking classes here worked with my schedule while raising a family.

What made you want to obtain your Doctorate in education (EdD)?

The backstory is I made a mistake in high school, stayed back freshman year, and disappointed my mother. This still stays with me. After that, I felt like I always needed to make myself better through education. Once I completed my master's, I was fully locked in.

You do a lot for EOP. How did you grow EOP and how will you continue helping EOP?

EOP did a lot for me. Without it, I don't think that I would have truly been able to have an opportunity. The guidance that I received through EOP (or EOF at the time) really helped to change my trajectory. There were things that I had been able to cancel out like going to jail, being in a dead-end job, or maybe having a baby mom.

Those things became a distant possibility for me, because I had an education and I had learned to develop a relationship and to build a place within a community. EOF really gave me something and I felt it was my responsibility to give back. Even after graduating in 1997, I still found myself very connected to my director and my counselor and I helped with other students.

I was recruited for EOP. I also supported them in a variety of different ways, and then I came back to work at Centenary. I  worked in financial aid, which helped pay for my master's, along with being a great opportunity to be closer to my kids, while being gainfully employed.

I worked in enrollment and financial aid supporting EOP so I was always connected with the program. Then when I inherited the program in 2013, I had to go through a rebuild. 

The rebuild was great because I was able to structure the program in a way I thought was the best way to connect with the students, while at the same time aligning it with the goals of the university. 

It's important for people to understand that this program is not just a scholarship program where you give kids money just because of their background. This is an opportunity. 

It's a step up to be able to help students provide new trajectories from their backgrounds. That's why, in every possible way, I try to foster relationships that are going to help students while they're here, but also help them after they leave. The relationships are created through constant communication with students, bringing them in, having an open door, teaching them how to be responsible adults. I interview every student that comes in so that they understand the program’s expectations.

There's a good way to inform young people, and I think this model is exactly that. They need to be a conscious part of what success can look like. So, through our monthly meetings and our communication– email or face-to-face conversations– our programming and activities are very, very important. I continue to do things this way because I remember what it was like to be a student when all these decisions were being made for you, and you never had any say in it. 

This is why I open up the lines of communication to students while at the same time being the best advocate that I can be for the program.

When talking about EOP students, what word do you think they use to describe you?

I'm sure there's a lot of words that I probably can't say, right? But for the most part, I'm stern. I'm that tough voice. I give that tough love. 

My counterpart, Eunice Boyd, associate director of EOP, gives that more nurturing, that more motherly love. I think that that creates such a great balance with our students because not everything can be handled in a very tough way and not everything can be handled in a very nurturing way. It’s a balance. The way that we are open to students creates that balance to be able to help them in the long run. 

I know what my background was. I know what my intentions are. 

I am really consistent, because that's a part of my upbringing. That consistency is what allows students to feel confident in a place where they can go. When you lose that consistency, then there's no real structure. To me, students knowing that I am consistent in how I approach them allows them to know that there's a safe place, sometimes an intimidating place, but it is a place that they can go to feel comfortable. I do my best to let them know that it's okay to be uncomfortable while at the same time getting to be comfortable. 

What are your favorite hobbies?

I am a family guy. Everything to me comes down to how I can  find time to be able to be around my family. Just last night we went and we played basketball at the local gym together. 

Being involved with young people is my hobby. I guess that's education. I don't know if that's a hobby. Because even though being in higher education is my career, I really enjoy being engaged with students. 

Those are the things that really give me that satisfaction. I think some people will be satisfied by looking at, oh wow, I built a birdhouse. I'm like, alright, well that's good. Me, I changed a family. 

I created an opportunity for a student. Or I created an opportunity for other students. That to me is one of the things that I enjoy the most.

What is your biggest inspiration?

I kind of touched on one of them before: my mom. I knew what she did with six of us growing up in the city.  

But there's so many other things, such as the smile on a young person's face when they see that they could do it. Additionally, my greatest inspiration is to be able to challenge somebody when they need to be challenged. 

I love when parents come in with their freshmen and I make a promise to them that, as long as you trust me, I'll take care of your kid. However, many years later it might be, whatever combination  leads to their student’s success. And when they see me, they sometimes don't know how to thank me for really making it happen. 

But it's okay. This is what we do. So I'm inspired by parents saying thank you. 

Where and when did you meet the love of your life?

The love of my life, of course, is my wife, Mona. She and I met on campus here in the Fall of ‘95. We met in the gym where I just happened to be playing in a basketball game against her. 

It was a one-on-one. She just arrived from Sweden. I had no idea who she was, but she had been pulled in from Sweden to play for the women's team.

Now, at the same time, I was in another relationship, and I was frustrated. I just went to go shoot around, because I got into an argument. I just happened to see this girl and I asked her if she wanted to play. 

We played and she beat me 11-0. Dynamic young lady. Let's just say I couldn't stand her after that because I was already in a bad mood and then she beat me 11-0.

Looking back, it’s a great story. I just went to the gym to de-stress. Never dreamed we would end up together because that’s not what my intentions were. Eventually, we ended up having a class together in the Spring.  I thought, “Okay,  I'll get her back. I'm smart enough. I'm out to challenge her.” 

She was smart, too. She could play ball and she was absolutely beautiful. We’ve been together for 29 years and even to this day, she is still the love of my life. 

So next year will be 30 years. We've been together as a team, as a pair, since then since the Summer of ‘96..

Where do you see EOP in the next five years, and what do you see EOP when it turns 50?

I would hope that we would have a celebration recognizing its 50 years of accomplishment here at Centenary. Because EOF is more than 50. EOF is actually like 55, 56 years old. 

What is that one piece of advice you find yourself telling any student?

Be confident. That's it, be confident. Challenge yourself to be confident. Confidence is something that you will lose sight of if you don't have a good foundation. 

But then also, on top of being confident, challenge yourself. Challenge yourself to be the best that you can when you can. 

When you have that, understand it for what it is because you get one undergraduate experience. Do the best that you can. Enjoy it. Don't rush to end it. 

Do something amazing if you can. The definition of what's going to be amazing is probably not going to come out until after you leave. Or even something that you won't talk about until the next 5, 10 years, or 20 years down the line.

Always go for as much as you possibly can. Don't be foolish about it, but go for it. Take a shot. Who's to say that you can't? 

I look at my wife all the time and I'm like this: If I hadn't shot my shot, I wouldn't have had an opportunity to spend my life with the most beautiful woman, the most beautiful parent. It's one of those things. That's the best advice I can give young people. 

Be confident, challenge yourself, and shoot your shot.

For more information about Centenary's EOP program, contact Devon Vialva, the Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and director of EOP at Devon.Vialva@CentenaryUniversity.edu. Or stop by the EOP office located on the first floor of the Seay building in the Campus Life office suite.