Migrant Program Produces Its First Graduates

11-21-97
University Park, Pa. -- When Guillermo Ahtuzar was in elementary school he carried the flag of Mexico in parades and other public ceremonies. This December, Guillermo will carry honors of another kind as one of the first graduates of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Penn State.

Born in Mexico in 1975, Guillermo's family moved north to the United States in search of a better life. Guillermo, who was only 13 years old, worked long hours in Chambersburg peach orchards. He wasn't admitted to high school. Instead, Guillermo and his brother attended an English as a second language program where students of various ages and ethnic backgrounds read books like "The Little Engine that Could."

But Guillermo showed promise.

He spent the summer of 1989 picking sugar beets in Montana. When he returned, he entered the ninth grade and was placed in general classes. Within two weeks, he was transferred into pre-algebra classes.

In the years that followed, Guillermo's family moved to Gettysburg, Atlanta, and Harrisonburg, Va. Although his high school grades and SAT scores were good, family finances were not. For Guillermo, attending college seemed an impossible dream.

After graduation, he went to work on a Mennonite farm near Gettysburg. It was 1993 -- the same year that CAMP got started at Penn State.

The program was launched at Penn State with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to provide educational programs that would help migrant youths begin college careers. The grant was one of only six awarded in the nation and the only one on the East coast.

CAMP provides intense academic counseling, tutoring, cultural experiences, mentoring and financial aid for students like Guillermo as they make the transition from migrant or seasonal farm workers to college graduates. Under the direction of Howard E. Wray III, associate dean for undergraduate education, and Jeri R. Galaida, program director, CAMP students also attend workshops on study skills, college life and career planning. Currently, 35 students are enrolled from the eastern stream, which stretches from Maine to Florida.

Since the fall of 1993, CAMP has enrolled 103 students from migrant or seasonal farmworker families. So far, 80 percent have remained in college after their freshmen year -- an astounding retention rate, given the fact that nationally, 60 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds drop out of high school and only 8 percent of incoming students from disadvantaged backgrounds even have a chance of completing college.

CAMP staff found Guillermo on a recruiting trip to Gettysburg. With encouragement from his family, Guillermo enrolled in Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies and earned a 3.02 grade point average his first semester.

Guillermo continued working to help support his family and worked for a Penn State faculty member in exchange for room and board. This faculty member in the College of Engineering, was instrumental in helping Guillermo stay in school.

Along the way, he tutored fellow students in math.

On Sunday, Dec. 21, Guillermo will receive his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He will be the first in his family to earn a college degree, and plans to continue his studies and conduct research in the area of fluids or thermodynamics.

Incoming CAMP students have the choice of attending Penn State at either its University Park or Altoona locations. CAMP students like Guillermo continue to enrich University life, sharing their cultures and contributing to annual Asian and Hispanic celebrations and events.

**kiw**

Contact: Karen I. Wagner (814) 865-7517 (office) (814) 867-0797 (home) kiw1@psu.edu