St. Edward's University's College Assistance Migrant Program celebrates 50th anniversary - Austin American-Statesman

Since 1972, the College Assistance Migrant Program has been a portion of St. Edward’s University, 1 of the 4 pioneer schools that implemented the programme and the lone 1 that has maintained it continuously since its creation. 

The programme was crafted successful the 1960s to code American poverty, region economical and societal barriers, and marque a assemblage acquisition accessible for low-income families. Over the years, CAMP astatine St. Edward’s has welcomed astir 3,000 students.

Through backing from the Department of Education for first-year students and assemblage scholarships for the remainder of their undergraduate years, the programme has helped its students fulfill their higher acquisition dreams. For its 50th day this year, CAMP is preparing celebrations to item its accomplishments, existent students, module and alumni. 

“It’s a assemblage that decidedly focuses connected diverseness and inclusion, and CAMP decidedly falls nether that pillar,” CAMP programme manager and alumna Sonia Briseño said. 

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Created to service Hispanic students, who often are the archetypal successful their family to be college, the programme is committed to field diverseness and to the improvement of these students aft college. Through the enactment the assemblage offers not lone academically but besides financially and emotionally, CAMP alumni were capable to instrumentality the adjacent steps successful their careers arsenic a effect of this committedness to the students.

“We person CAMP alumni who are exceptional leaders not conscionable locally but statewide, internationally and nationally,” Briseño said. 

After graduation, CAMP alumni prosecute the adjacent steps successful their careers and proceed to springiness backmost to the program. They tin go members of the university’s Board of Trustees, similar Anabel Rodriguez of the Class of 2014, the archetypal CAMP alumna to articulation the board.

For existent students, CAMP is much than conscionable an assistance program. It is simply a family. 

“They person made it consciousness similar a home,” freshman Catalina Sanchez said. 

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Within the program, students are capable to resonate and place with 1 another, processing a beardown consciousness of assemblage and belonging. One of the things that marque CAMP astatine St. Edward’s truthful peculiar is the information that some students and unit members travel from akin backgrounds, creating a harmless abstraction and creaseless modulation for caller students. 

For the aboriginal of the program, the assemblage plans to rise up to $10 cardinal to summation enactment for CAMP students. As portion of the university’s committedness to providing an acquisition of excellence, Strategic Plan 2027 focuses connected Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice arsenic 1 of its 5 main goals, which supports the continued assistance for students successful CAMP. 

For its 50th anniversary, CAMP volition celebrate during homecoming play from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 29 successful the Mabee Ballrooms. To articulation successful the celebration, the Munday Library volition showcase the grounds “Celebrando Legado” during the week earlier homecoming. The grounds volition item the past of CAMP connected the hilltop.

This story was primitively published by the Hilltop Views, the paper produced by students astatine St. Edward’s University.