FALL 2020/SPRING 2021 | ISSUE 32
NEW HORIZON An official publication of College Assistance Migrant Program St. Edward's University - Austin, Texas
Dr. Anabel Rodriguez, '14, MPH, PhD Named to St. Edward's Board of Trustees WRITTEN BY STAFF Dr. Anabel Rodriguez is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and seasonal migrant farmworkers from the South Texas border town of Rio Grande City. She received her B.S. in Biology from St. Edward’s University, her M.P.H. in Epidemiology and Ph.D. in Occupational Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in San Antonio. Dr. Rodriguez is a former College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) scholar. For the past six and a half years, Dr. Rodriguez’s research has focused on improving occupational health and safety among vulnerable working groups—dairy workers, logging machine operators, and migrant farmworkers. Most recently, her work has focused on bovine tuberculosis and healthcare access and barriers among dairy workers in Texas, as well as, mental health care access and perceptions among migrant farmworker families residing in South Texas. She was recently appointed to the St. Edward’s University Board of Trustees "I am absolutely honored and humbled to have been selected for the St. Edward’s University Board of Trustees I," says Dr. Rodriguez. "I would have never imagined that a former migrant farmworker and daughter of Mexican immigrants would have had the opportunity of such a recognition. Since my nomination to the Board, I have reflected heavily on what my role is and how I will make a meaningful difference during my term."
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I hope to be a beacon of hope for students, staff, and faculty from underserved and underrepresented communities, to use my voice and platform to empower those we serve; included, the programs and services at St. Edward’s that have been key to the success of many students. I hope to use my personal experiences as a first-generation CAMPer and Natural Sciences student as well as the deep-rooted values of respect, inclusion, and family instilled in me to guide my decisions during my term.
www.stedwards.edu/camp
College Assistance Migrant Program St. Edward's University 3001 S. Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78704 512.448.8625
First Photo L to R: Dr. Rodriguez's parents Maria Irma "La Güera" and Francisco "Pancho" Rodriguez working in the fields of Bakersfield, CA in the early 80s. Second Photo: CAMP Alumna Dr. Rodriguez with her mother in the fields of Bakersfield, CA in 2007.
Michelle Ramirez: Green Beans and a Dream WRITTEN BY MICHELLE RAMIREZ, CAMP '20 This past summer, as I have done most of my life, my family and I made our annual trek from Weslaco, Texas to St. Helen, Ohio. We traveled to St. Helen to begin our annual work at the Beckman and Gast Co. – a small canning facility that processes tomatoes and green beans. My family’s history with the canning facility started with my father, who began working there at the age of 20. Some of my earliest memories are of summers spent playing with my cousins as our parents worked their long shifts. I did not begin working in the canning facility until I was 16 years old. My parents felt that it was time for me to understand the work they did in order to provide financially for the family. They hoped I would realize that this type of work was hard and could be my future unless I continued my education. Both of my parents did not have the opportunity to pursue an education past high school, and had limited job options as a result. They did not want that life for my siblings and I.
Michelle Ramirez, CAMP '20, poses in front of the Main Building Red Doors at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas.
That first summer I worked twelve to fourteen hour shifts six days a week. My job was to stand at a conveyor belt and make sure that the green beans were clean before being canned. This meant picking out debris as the green beans would roll past me. While the work was not mentally taxing, physically it took a toll. I noticed that the other workers – the majority of them women – used a mat to cover the metal part of the conveyor belt that we leaned against to reach the green beans. Some of them would also bring a rubber mat to stand on providing cushion against the cement floor. As I noticed how their bodies had aged, I understood very clearly why my parents wanted me to get an education. This type of work tires you, it makes you age before you naturally should.
I am now 19 years old and this past summer was my fourth year working at Beckman and Gast. As the child of migrant parents, I have a love hate relationship with the migrant lifestyle. I love that I am extremely close to my family and cousins, I will appreciate sharing summers for years together and the memories created will result in a unique closeness unlike any other. I hated having to leave my friends and school early. We would leave Texas in April, before the end of the school year to travel to Ohio. We would then leave Ohio in September to return to Texas after classes had begun. I had a hard time academically. It was challenging coming in after classes had started and leaving before they were done. It just always felt like I was missing out on something important – both academically and personally. And I most certainly did not love working in the canning facility. Although being a migrant has made my life unstable, I am grateful for the opportunities it has brought to me. One of them has been the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at St. Edward’s University. CAMP is a scholarship specifically for children of migrant or seasonal farm workers. I am fortunate that my high school in Texas had a great migrant program whose focus was on helping migrant students succeed. Once I learned of the CAMP scholarship, I applied and was accepted into the Fall 2020 class at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. I could not wait to begin college. Finally, all my hard work and long hours of working had paid off. It was my turn to pursue a different future from my parents. Then came COVID-19. All my plans had to change and the lifestyle I thought I was leaving behind, was not done with me. Despite the pandemic my family decided to go ahead and migrate to Ohio to work.I missed out of the last half of my senior year in high school and the beginning of my freshman year of college.I was not able to attend in person during the Fall 2020 semester. Being online my freshman year of college made me realize that I learn better in person and how much I missed making friends. As difficult as I found it to be a “virtual” college freshman, I got through the first semester. I had hopes of having in-person classes for the spring semester, but it was not meant to be. (continued on page 3)
Michelle Ramirez, CAMP '20, poses with her cousins in St. Helen, Ohio
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Sonia P. Briseno Continues Legacy of CAMP Directors at St. Edward's WRITTEN BY STAFF
T he first time that Sonia P. Briseno set foot on the Hilltop, she was
a freshman College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) scholar. She was the first in her family to leave home and pursue a college education. She did not know where her journey would take her, only that it felt right to be on a college campus. Sonia's path would lead her to a BA in Social Work from St. Edward's, then a Master in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Along the way, she found her calling in working with non-profit organizations such as Con Mi Madre.
As the
director of Con MI Madre, Sonia focused on the organization's mission of helping young Latinas graduate from high school, enroll in college, and successfully earn a college degree. In 2013, Sonia found herself returning to St. Edward's as the Assistant Director of the McNair Scholars Program - whose goal is to increase the attainment of doctoral degrees by students who come from underrepresented segments of society. Returning to the Hilltop also gave Sonia the opportunity to collaborate with CAMP - the very same freshman scholarship program she had been a part of during her undergraduate years. CAMP at St. Edward's had always remained a part of her life, and throughout the year's she had volunteered and maintained a connection with CAMP her second Familia. Then in July of 2020, Sonia finds her professional journey taking its next turn - she becomes the first CAMP alumna to be named as CAMP director at St. Edward's University.
“Reflecting on my educational and professional journey, I
consider all the things that I have been able to accomplish to be a tremendous blessing. As migrant students, we know the true meaning of a strong work ethic and of making considerable sacrifices in order to guarantee a more prosperous future. Our migrant experiences shape us, and I have learned that as CAMP scholars we grow to embrace our pioneering spirit, courage, desire to thrive, and dreams of securing a better future for ourselves and our family. It is an honor for me to work with students who hold these values and help them set goals and reach them, to discover their passions and follow them, and eventually earn their piece of the American Dream.
As a CAMP alumna, I hold in my heart four points of pride: • first, the university’s standing as the longest continuous CAMP program in the nation; • second, our strength as the only CAMP offering up to five years of tuition support; • third, that I have the great honor of serving as CAMP’s sixth Director and the first CAMP alum to lead the program; and lastly, • the stories of transformation shared by CAMP alumni over our 50-year history, and the ways they are driven to positively impact our world and society. In 2022, I invite you to celebrate with us our 5 decades of CAMP success!”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Finally, I found myself on campus for the Fall 2021 semester. I was a sophomore at a college that I was unfamiliar with. What the past year had taught me about myself and my learning style made me more determined to take full advantage of what college has to offer. I am committed to being involved on campus and commit to exploring opportunities available to me. Currently, I am the co-president of the Latinx Student Leaders Organization and a member of IGNITE – a national organization launched in 2010 to address the lack of women in elected office. As a political science major with a double minor in Chicanx/Latinx Studies and Economics, I am exploring where my path will lead me. I do know that I want to find a profession that will allow me to work with first-generation and low-income scholars and families. How exactly will I do this? This is a part of my story that is yet to be written. What I do know is that things are changing for me. I am hopeful to find a paid internship this coming summer so that I do not need to return to the canning factory. This choice is bittersweet for me. I will miss being surrounded by my family. I will not miss the conveyer belt of green beans, the sore hands and feet, or the tiredness. Those are the things I choose to leave behind.
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Valeria Moreno - CAMP '17 Reflections of a college graduate during CAMP'S graduation ceremony It's bittersweet speaking here today, as I thought this day would never come and much less under these circumstances. We are at the end of a very long educational journey and I am so excited for what's in store for us.. Our last few semesters have been nothing short of surprising, yet here we are, having mastered not only our majors but also zoom university. Like many graduates here, I am a first-generation college student and also the proud daughter of migrant farmworkers. I am here representing the struggles of my parents and their American Dream, which I now know was never for them, but always for my siblings and I education and future. So I take the stage proudly, alongside my fellow CAMPers, as we celebrate our accomplishments of being first to attend college and
first
to
graduate,
demonstrated
time
but
and
certainly
time
again
not our
the
last.
resilience
We've and
determination. We've broken through numerous glass ceilings and have shown that we are here to conquer all the obstacles that are thrown our way. We are barrier breakers, so be proud of all your triumphs and all your downfalls, all the late nights studies, all the laughs, all the crys, and all the friends we've met along the way, but be especially proud of who you've become. Porque no hay nadie quien nos pueda quitar nuestros logros y nuestro orgullo.
"THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED ME WAS MY CAMP FAMILY. WITHOUT THE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT CAMP GAVE ME, I WOULD HAVE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL AND GONE BACK HOME"
Thank you to our CAMP familia, educators,mentors, faculty, and staff for helping us navigate through these past four years and giving us a second family y una segunda casa on our
hilltop.
Your
continuous
support
and
words
of
encouragement have prepared us to take on our world. On behalf of all my CAMP peers and myself, we are grateful to all the donors who funded our educational journey here at the Hilltop. And a special thank you to the Johnson-Turpin and Hatton Sumners Foundation who have invested in my education. Without your funding, we would not be able to pursue our dream of obtaining a college degree. Lastly, I'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our parents. Thank you for believing in us, in our dreams and for all your teachings that have guided us to this day. Thank you for all your sacrifices, support, and love. This is for you. Gracias a todos los padres por creer en nosotros, en nuestros sueños y por todas las enseñanzas que nos ayudaron llegar a este día. Gracias por sus sacrificios, apoyo y amor. Este logro es para ustedes. As we close this
Valerie Moreno, CAMP '17, poses with her family after graduation.
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chapter of our lives, Remember to always remain true to yourselves and to your dreams, que nuestra historia sigue! ¡Felicidades Class of 2021! ¡Si Se Pudo!
! s t a r g n o C CAMP 2020-2021 GRADUATES
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