College program connects migrant students to higher education

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The road to college can be daunting, especially if a student is navigating the process as a first-generation student. Federally supported efforts like the College Assistance Migrant Program have been a bridge between seasonal farm-working families and higher education in multiple universities, including Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

“My parents always told me that education was really important in order to be able to live well,” Flore, a WMU sophomore who asked to be identified only by her first name, said.

Flore lived in Oklahoma for 10 years before her family moved to Fremont, Michigan, where there was a need for more farm workers.

Determined to make that dream of education happen, Flore said she visited campus three times. One of those visits crossed the path of a staff member who told them about CAMP.

CAMP Director Ashley Bravo says the program is for first-year students and provides scholarships and advocacy for the students. It also helps parents with the transition.

“They’re able to just find that sense of almost relief because we’re able to talk to them in Spanish or answer any questions that they might not feel comfortable asking, you know your typical admissions person or someone who seems a little more intimidating,” she said.

Bravo says the CAMP program at WMU has grown from the initial 14 students in 2012 to now having served 380 Broncos through more than 10 years of service.

Student Services Coordinator Liz Morales was one of those students. She was in the 2016 cohort and said many of the concerns new students share, she heard and experienced firsthand. Morales says the program makes a point to build confidence in its students during the college transition.

“I feel that even when I was a student, I could just tell that the main priority was putting, like, trying to put it in our mindset that we are capable of doing this, that regardless of our backgrounds, which we might have seen it as like a weakness later or like early on. But just realizing that, like we bring a lot more enrichment,” Morales said.

That connection has built a sense of community for students. Flore said she has found comfort in sharing the same experiences with fellow students and staff who have been there too.

“I could say something I was struggling with or say something funny and not feel like they would judge me. In that way, we formed a family and became a family and It’s something beautiful,” she said.

Flore is studying to be a prenatal nurse and hopes to help the Spanish-speaking community in a language they understand.

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