 |
|
Young Adults |
|
Maria "Bobbie" Gutierrez Teacher "Having worked as a teacher in both regular and migrant programs, I have seen many educators make the mistake of assuming that migrant students will never make it in college and whether consciously or unconsciously, they relay this message to the student through daily interaction. Unfortunately, many migrant students begin to believe this themselves and lose interest in their studies, which leads to failure in school." As a teenager Maria "Bobbie" Gutierrez migrated with her family each winter from Ohio to Florida to harvest strawberries. Bobbie and her brothers and sisters had left Mexico when she was 13 , knowing no English. They struggled to learn. Bobbie decided then that she was going to be a teacher. The transition to college studies was not easy though. For three years after finishing high school she continued to work in the Florida fields during the winter, working as a recruiter and aide for the migrant program in Ohio during the summer. Recruiters from Findlay University visited the summer program and told her that scholarship money was available for students who entered bilingual education. Findlay University offered the program and financial assistance she needed, and the college was only an hour from her home. She graduated in 1991, the first in her family to obtain a college degree. After two years teaching, Bobbie made another hard decision. She learned of a nine-month program at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She could obtain a master's degree in special education with emphasis on migrant students. It would mean leaving her job and family for the year. The program could increase her abilities to work with students with diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. She accepted the challenge and completed her master's degree. Bobbie now teaches Spanish to high school students in Lorain, Ohio. She believes strongly in the power of teachers to make a difference. "With the large increase in students that have diverse backgrounds there is a need for people to work with this population. Teachers are key; they have a great impact to bridge the gap with this population." |
|
Mario Alaniz University of Texas - Austin "The main idea we should start hammering into our children's minds, starting in grade school is: 'You are going to college.' Once you remove the option of going to college, there will be no say whether or not the kid gets a higher education." Mario Alaniz's family has spent many seasons moving from their home in Edinburg, Texas, to harvests in Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska. Mario is now a mechanical engineering student at the University of Texas at Austin. The mechanical engineering program is a very demanding one, but Mario is succeeding and expects to graduate soon. The transition to college was not an easy one. He found the first semester particularly difficult as he became accustomed to the large campus and his first college courses. "The second semester I put everything into it." Mario joined other engineering students in forming study groups. He also asked questions. He suggests that other students, "Go to class every day. Bug the professors more. Bother the teaching assistants." He made the honor roll at the end of his second semester. He knew then that he could make it. Mario is now involved in a cooperative program with the Johnson & Johnson Company. He alternates semesters between the University and working as a paid employee for Johnson & Johnson. "Not everyone is in co-op program. But today it is not smart to finish school without getting experience." Mario thinks that he may choose to work for Johnson & Johnson after he finishes college. What would Mario say to other migrant students? "Go for it! Actually if there is a will to do something, there is always a way. Maybe you won't make it the first semester. I didn't. But keep trying and you will make it." |
