By Mark Muckenfuss

Sara Sánchez is preparing for a new crop of CAMPers. 

Every year, about 40 CSU Monterey Bay freshmen get support through the College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP. It is a one-year program that helps students whose parents are migrant or seasonal farmworkers, and who are the first in their families to attend college.

Sánchez directs the program. She said CAMP provides services and personal support including peer mentors who can guide the students in their first months of college, giving them a greater chance of success. The program creates a family-like atmosphere for students.

“They have a safety net,” Sánchez said of the program participants. “They have a community. It’s nice to have that big brother or big sister to help them through.” 

The Department of Education funds the nationwide program with five-year, $2.1 million grants. At CSUMB, that money funds four professional staff members, including Sánchez, and four part-time peer mentors. Students in the program receive a $600 annual stipend. 

The rest of that money supports weekly meetings and periodic educational and bonding experiences – including workshops on financial literacy and fun outings such as visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and horseback riding. Students can also get health benefits, such as physical exams and eyeglasses.

CSUMB has offered the CAMP program since the early 2000s, off and on. It has been continually funded since 2014. 

As one year winds down, Sánchez and her staff begin focusing on identifying the next group of first-year students. Those students must meet certain requirements. 

“If the student was in the high school migrant education program, they’re automatically eligible for meeting the agriculture requirement,” she said. 

Otherwise, students must show that they, their parents, or an immediate family member worked a minimum of 75 days within the past two years in agriculture-related work.  

Students must also be: 

• A U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident
• A full-time, first-generation college student
• In need of support services, and 
• Able to show academic need   

Most of the CAMP participants come from the Salinas area and South Monterey County. But the program also serves Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. Sánchez’s staff even visits areas of the Central Valley, such as Fresno and Firebaugh, to maintain relationships with schools that have produced previous CAMP students. 

In addition to building student awareness by visiting high schools and holding informational events, the staff also tailors its message to parents.

“We try to outreach specifically to our parents,” Sánchez said. “College is a transition for the family too. If they can get on board, we can have that additional support. We want to show parents that this can be a positive thing.”

A child of seasonal farmworkers herself, she feels the program's role is vital. 

“I think the biggest difference we make is generational change,” she said. “Many of our students are the first to take this huge leap to be explorers in this system of higher education. This really does mean more for this first-generation family population.”

She said students have shared with her circumstances where a lack of education and awareness has led to a lack of access to social and health services that has cost family members their lives. She said she looks forward to making a difference for such students and their families with a new group of CAMP participants this fall. 

The coming academic year will also be the final one of the five-year grant cycle. 

“We will be applying for another grant,” Sánchez said. “We’re hoping to finish strong and continue our program.”

For information on the CAMP program, including how to apply, visit the CAMP webpage.