New Mexico State University’s College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) hosted a poster expo on Wednesday, March 26 in the Corbett Center Aggie Lounge to showcase the hardworking students within the program. This event, along with several others, was in celebration of National Farmworker Awareness Week.
CAMP is an NMSU program that recruits migrant students with farmwork, dairy work, and ranching backgrounds, inviting them to join the program and explore career opportunities with its assistance. The program gives these students hands-on experience and allows them to work with mentors to gain further knowledge.
At this event, students stood next to various posters that highlighted work they’ve done recently thanks to the CAMP program. Students were able to tell attendees their stories and display their proudest work.
Daniel Grajeda, a student staff mentor or COMPA who’s been a part of CAMP for seven years, said that as a first-generation student, CAMP allowed him to adjust to the complex student lifestyle. At the poster expo, Grajeda showcased his experience studying abroad in Japan and mentoring students along the way.
“… from experiences like this one, we get to share a little more of the story of the program, and also our story as part of the program,” Grajeda shared.
While pursuing his MBA, Grajeda continues to be a part of CAMP as a COMPA to help teach and guide younger students.
From providing students with COMPA’s to inserting them in real-world experiences, like attending conferences and being placed in internships, CAMP offers migrant workers opportunities to present their hard work and accomplishments to future employers.
CAMP Student Council President, Maria Cortes, was present at the event to represent the student council within the program and highlight its goals. Her poster and presentation informed interested guests on what the CAMP Student Council can do for students.
“The whole purpose of starting a student council was for us to get our students involved with campus life,” Cortes shared.
She said this branch of the program allows for recruited students to become more involved with happenings on campus and discover clubs they might’ve been too hesitant to explore otherwise. For Cortes, this program has given her the confidence to speak in front of large crowds, and she has witnessed other students become more interactive, as well. She said many members of CAMP are often first-generation college students, which could potentially make getting involved in campus life more isolating.
One student, Daniel Gomez, said he worked in the fields during high school and was invited to join CAMP in his senior year. Now, as a senior in college, Gomez is moving onto an internship as a construction coordinator in Texas thanks to the resources CAMP has given him.
“It [the poster expo] allows us to tell that story and people are interested in it,” Gomez said. “A lot of the CAMP students, including myself, we come from areas where we just learn to just do your own thing and just work … It just allows us to show people that we can do more than just work with foods.”
