Migrant Family Students Exposed To College Life

MEXICO – For several Migrant Education Tutorial and Support Services program students, a recent field trip to SUNY Oswego’s campus was the first time someone in their family had visited a college.

Through METS, an alternative education component of the Center for Instruction, Technology and Innovation, students in grades seven through 12 whose parents have had to move around mostly for farm work were able to explore educational opportunities beyond high school and shared their career aspirations.

METS director Paul Gugel said the annual Discovery College Day attracted 31 youngsters from throughout the program’s region, including many students from Fulton and Oswego.

CiTi adolescent specialist Claudia Cook said the more they are exposed to post-high school education, the more likely they are to obtain higher education.

Discovery College Day included college class attendance, a tour of SUNY Oswego’s arts programs, lunch in one of the dining halls, a tour of the technology department, a workout with the basketball team and a career exploration conversation.

In figuring out where each METS students’ intelligence fits, one student said they all need to try new things before decisions are made.

Guest speaker Ruth Vasquez echoed that sentiment and spoke to the middle school and high school students about the three things it takes to succeed: ambition, persistence and perseverance.

The former METS student said her family worked in the fields while she grew up and the program helped her learn there is life beyond migrant work and aspirations can be made a reality.

During her senior year of high school, Vasquez said she completed CiTi’s New Vision Allied Health program because she was interested in healthcare.

Her drive brought her to LeMoyne College and then SUNY Oswego.

She said it was persistence that brought her to nursing school and now she is a registered nurse working at Oswego Hospital.

Gugel said each METS student works on a graduation plan and will also have additional opportunities to explore college life, including a Nov. 3 field trip to SUNY Oneonta, which has a College Assistance Migrant Program aimed to further meet the higher education needs to migrant farm working families.

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