Thread: College assistance for the children of migrants

http://www.napavalleyregister.com/artic ... 387609.txt



CAMPing to success in college
By CRISTINA DE LEON-MENJIVAR, Register Staff Writer
Thursday, April 13, 2006 1:39 AM PDT
The journey to school is incredibly long for Napa Valley College student Francisco Avia. His day starts out each morning at 6:30 with a two-hour bus ride from Angwin to Napa Valley College.

Avia, in his first year of college, is set on fulfilling his goal of becoming a psychologist. "I want to realize my dream and improve myself," he said. He lives in a two-bedroom house with eight other family members. He chooses to spend the whole day going to classes and studying at school; the house is too full for any quiet time.

Avia comes from a family of migrant workers. He's seen his parents' labor in the fields and knows that is not the route for him.

As the first in his family to attend college, he entered NVC scared and frustrated, but ambitious too.


Francisco Aviña updates fellow Napa Valley College students on his scholastic life during a College Assistance Migrant Program meeting. The group of 20 students from migrant worker families meet once a week to receive guidance while going through their first year of college. Jorgen Gulliksen/Register
"I want to be an example for my younger brothers, and I want to help my parents," he said.

When Avia started at NVC, so did his involvement with the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). CAMP is a federally-funded, college assistance program run by Sonoma State University in collaboration with Santa Rosa Junior College and NVC. The program lasts one academic year, focusing on helping migrant students make it through their first year of college.

"It's hard enough for a regular student ... for us everything is so much more difficult, everything is different," said Avia.

Through CAMP, Avia and other students from migrant worker backgrounds receive help specific to them, from people who understand their situations. Tutors are provided, students go on excursions to other colleges, and they can receive additional financial help.

Outreach counselor Alejandro Guerrero oversees the CAMP program at NVC. He's worked with the program the four years it's been at the college, meeting each week with students to check on their progress and offer advice and support.

"We help all the way around ... from what classes to take, books, financial aid. ... Our goal is to help the student adjust to college life, like testing skills and asking questions," said Guerrero.

Guerrero, whose family also has a migrant worker background, says working with CAMP students is different because they come in with a different mentality than other students. In the program, family involvement is the norm, and CAMP provides orientation for students and their families.

"(CAMP) students are taught to work hard and taught to support their families and work like a family," said Guerrero. "Most of them say they are going to college to help their families. ... It all comes back to family. ... We're not saying that their parents aren't a success, but that they are products of strong families who are pioneers."

There are 20 students in the NVC program, with room to handle 25. Students or their parents must have worked at least 75 days within the last two years in migrant seasonal farm work, or have participated in the Migrant Education Program to be eligible for CAMP. Students must also demonstrate financial need and provide U.S. residency documentation.

Guerrero says that because many students are undocumented, it is hard to find students to fill open spots each year.

"Because we're a federal program we can't support students without documents, but we still offer to help (undocumented students) to find services and scholarships," said Guerrero.

Retention, success

According to CAMP Principal Investigator Francisco Vazquez, CAMP students do better with grades and staying in college than the average Sonoma State student. Vazquez, who also works as faculty at Sonoma State, said CAMP students have high goals and ambitions and usually come in with a high degree of motivation.

"Having that kind of supportive environment (that CAMP provides), coupled with the ambition they bring into the program is the reason CAMP students do better," said Vazquez.

Vazquez said his target is to have 60 students in the program, 20 at each college.

"(We're) dealing with a population that's very needy, but very forward looking," said Vazquez

Seems all our immigrant parents came here to try and provide for us a better life. I remember when I was at one college back in the 70's there was no help for any specific group. We had ALOT of students here from other countries and immigration rules were strictly applied. Most couldn't speak english and out of them many didn't share the same alphabet either. I watched and found out they taped the lectures and painstakingly went through each and every word with their translator dictionaries. For the books as well. Talk about dedication!!!! They were just grateful for the oppertunity to learn. Never got aid, or even allowed to work at all. I mean gee whiz....I'm tired of the you owe me stuff for a better life. I had to pay and did it by myself and didn't have loans or grants. And I had to pay out of state tuition prices. These "blues" stories to award them for being illegal just irks me. Those legal students didn't have their family there to support them either. But they were grateful for the chance to learn without everyone else having to lay down roll over and give up their rights.

The CAMP program is open to all students of migratory farm worker background regardless of ethnicity and the full benefits are limited to legals. Most of the farmworkers these days are of Mexican origin so a program that is to be representative for their student children is going to have a mostly Mexican origin participant body too.

Fair enough....sorry