By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

Eva Albin arrived on SUNY Broome’s campus with a mission: talk to everyone. As a homeschooled student surrounded by a large, yet homogenous circle of friends, Albin was determined to broaden her horizons by meeting as many of her fellow students as possible. Driven by her belief that everyone matters, Albin hoped to get involved, bridge connections, and befriend her new community. She did just that. Now off to Binghamton University’s School of Management, Albin hopes to continue the campus engagement that she developed at her alma mater, SUNY Broome. 

Albin was born in Binghamton, NY, and is the first of four girls. As the eldest sister, Albin naturally assumed the role of the leader of her family’s version of “Little Women.” The granddaughter and daughter of pastors, Albin had the unique experience of growing up within the walls of the United With Christ Church, a Johnson City-based Christian ministry founded by her grandparents. As a “Pastor’s Kid (PK),” Albin witnessed firsthand the importance of honoring God, her family, and her community in that order. 

While parents are said to be a child’s first teacher, that’s especially true for Albin, whose formal education began with a kindergarten homeschool program led by her mother. When she was in the third grade, her family joined a local chapter of Classical Conversations (CC), a homeschool co-op. Through CC, Albin met with a group of classmates weekly to share ideas and advance through their challenge levels. Each academic year brought rigorous learning through hands-on units like mock trial, policy deliberations, grant writing, and public speaking. 

“Being homeschooled trained me to be both disciplined with my time and mobile in my ability to learn anywhere. Some days, I did my school work at home; other days, I studied at the church, and then I did some assignments on the go with my co-op. I could even keep up with my studies when my family traveled to South Africa for a mission trip,” Albin said. “Looking back, this was the best preparation for life as a college student.”

From an early age, Albin balanced her studies with a healthy dose of volunteering at United With Christ. She mastered running the soundboard during services, sang on the worship team, and helped with the children’s ministry classes. But of all her acts of service, Albin was most confident behind the scenes in the office, managing the logistics of supporting a place of worship. Reconciling bank statements, handling purchase orders, and coordinating dozens of volunteer schedules all came naturally to the innately business-savvy Albin. 

“Even as a little girl, my grandma always told me, ‘Eva, you’re a go-getter. You’ll be running the business side of things before we know it,'” Albin shared. “Getting such positive encouragement at such a young age was so empowering. By the time I was seven, I was sure that a business degree would be in my future.”

Albin has had an entrepreneurial spirit since girlhood. At seven, she decided to open “Eva’s Fancy Shop,” which sold handicrafts that she knitted and crocheted.
Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers

Just as Albin was confident that she would study business, she was equally certain about where she would do so. SUNY Broome was close to home, affordable, and most importantly for Albin, homeschool-friendly. 

“SUNY Broome is known in the local homeschool circles for being very supportive of first-time students,” Albin explained. “I was already excited to come to SUNY Broome, but then I found out about the articulation agreement with Binghamton University’s School of Management. I loved that I could have a goal with a clear path from the very beginning.” 

After enrolling in the Business Administration: A.S. program, Albin went straight to work building her extracurricular resume. Armed with a positive attitude and pen to sign her name, she visited every table at the fall Student Activities Fair. Some campus organizations, like the Business Club and Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC), were natural fits, but Albin also wanted to expand her comfort zone. So, naturally, she joined the women’s soccer team. The catch? She hadn’t kicked a soccer ball since preschool. 

“I met two really cool girls at BASIC who were on the soccer team. They mentioned that their numbers were dwindling due to mid-season injuries and asked if I would join the team,” Albin said, “As a homeschooler, I never played a school sport, but always wanted to. They didn’t mind that I had no soccer experience and offered to teach me the fundamentals.”

So, in addition to mastering microeconomics and managerial accounting, Albin spent the fall semester learning how to pass, dribble, and head a soccer ball as a Division III athlete. 

“I wasn’t officially ‘good,’ but I always had a good attitude,” Albin laughed. “During our last game of the season against an undefeated Herkimer, I ended up playing for the final twenty minutes. I headed the ball that helped to bring our team to two rounds of penalty kicks. I would never have had my ‘twenty minutes of student-athlete fame’ if I went to a bigger college.” 

Albin quickly realized that campus involvement bred opportunities. Just as her connections from BASIC led to her becoming a Hornet, Albin’s participation in the Business Club opened the door for her first official position in marketing.

“Kerry Gallagher, SUNY Broome’s Director of Marketing & Communications, presented at one of our Business Club meetings. I really wanted to have an internship, so I emailed her to see if she knew of any opportunities in the community,” Albin explained. “Kerry immediately replied with some suggestions but ended her email by offering me a student assistant position in MarCom!” 

Now the President of BASIC, Secretary of the Business Club, and Student Assembly Senator added ‘MarCom employee’ to her list of titles. In MarCom, Albin crafted social media content, supported campus events, and even helped facilitate a focus group of her fellow Business Club members to review and rank the department’s marketing efforts. 

By the time Commencement 2025 arrived, Albin felt that her mission to embrace all that SUNY Broome had to offer was complete. While she is excited for her next chapter at Binghamton University, she will always appreciate her first touchpoint into higher education at SUNY Broome. 

Eva’s Advice for Homeschooled Students: “College is new for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you went to public school, private school, or were homeschooled because we are all experiencing going to college for the first time together. Make connections with your professors early on. They will guide you in the right direction. Every connection is a touch point to an open door!”

“College is new for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you went to public school, private school, or were homeschooled because we are all experiencing going to college for the first time together.” Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers

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