Program offers 70 migrant students opportunity to attend OSU or community college

CORVALLIS Ore. (KPTV) - OSU has a program that gives migrant and seasonal farm worker students the opportunity to attend college.

College Assistant Migrant Program, or C.A.M.P., OFFERS 70 migrant students the opportunity to attend OSU or a community college in the area.

“The majority of our students are first generation students so their families aren’t able to not only offer them financial support, but not able to guide them through the process,” Maria Andrade, C.A.M.P. Director said.

C.A.M.P. is a federal program that receives $475,000 a year, for five years. Those funds go towards teachers, tuition aid, books a stipend for students and for the program to continue, students have to show their progress.

“86% of our students need to finish in good academic standing, which is over 2.5 GPA and with their 36 credits towards a semester school and then our second objective is for 92% of those students to continue onto their second year,” Andrade said.

Over 19 years of the program, students have gone on to be lawyers, teachers, work at the nation’s capitalC, entrepreneurs, and nurses. Uriel Carrillo and Marlenne Mendoza are now juniors at OSU.

“I come from a small town,” Carrillo explained. “College wasn’t really the big picture that was painted for us. It’s usually get out of high school, start working. Finding out that this program was available to us that really pushed me to come to a four-year university.”

Uriel is majoring in design and innovation management, with hopes to work in real estate. But C.A.M.P. offered more than just an education.

“I was the only Mexican brown boy in my classrooms for a lot of them so honestly that did make me feel a little uncomfortable and a little out of place felt like I didn’t belong here,” Carrillo said. “C.A.M.P. kind of offers like family. It really showed me that I do have a purpose that I do have a reason to be here.”

“Each of them have taught me so much more about my leadership style, myself development and I’ve done a lot more public speaking,” Mendoza said. “I didn’t really think a lot was possible for me. I always thought like OK well I want to be a dentist, but I probably can’t do that, so what’s the next thing, so what’s below that?”

With a little bit of help, guidance and opportunity, Mendoza, Carrillo and other students can plan for a future.

“I love telling my parents about everything that C.A.M.P. has helped me out with because I know that they want to help me because but they can’t because they don’t have a lot,” Mendoza said.

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