College Assistance Migrant Program, also known as CAMP, is a collegiate scholarly program that aids first-generation college students in their first year of college. This federally funded program is directed toward students from migrant or seasonal farm worker backgrounds. The program provides an abundance of assistance to its thirty selected scholars. CAMP provides assistance even before the scholar steps foot on campus. The program helps with the transition from high school to college. After the CAMP scholar transitions to college, CAMP provides academic assistance by providing peer mentors, who are upperclassmen college students, to guide the newly accepted scholars. As the students navigate their first year, they are also given personal coaching by the CAMP staff. Other services include lending the scholars a computer and graphing calculator if needed. The program also provides cultural trips and workshops for professional development.
CAMP provides a great relief of aid by providing financial assistance to its scholars. They provide a scholarship at the beginning of the semester and towards the end of the semester. This greatly benefits first-generation college students to help fund their future years. Mariano Morin, a junior majoring in Biology and CAMP Nighthawk, describes his experience as “exciting and exhilarating.”
“The most important things I got from CAMP were building community and getting mentorships and internships. The great thing about CAMP is that as soon as the CAMP scholar steps foot on campus, they already have a pool of people to whom they can relate. It makes college easier since they know a pool of people and who they can rely upon.” – Mariano Morin
Alfonso Perdomo, a freshman CAMP scholar, says, “ Something important I’ve taken from CAMP overall is the knowledge. Many first-generation college students don’t get this aid. I’ve also gained a little family here, making friends with other CAMP scholars, which gives me a sense of comfort since Gainesville is foreign to me”.
Some requirements to qualify for CAMP are students who participated in the Title 1 Migrant Program Education, a federal program that aids migratory students to ensure success in their academic careers in high school. Another requirement is for students to have worked at least 75 days in the past 24 months in agricultural work, as a migrant worker, or as a dependent on the specific worker. The participants must be at least 16 years of age or older. Must be of U.S. citizenship status or permanent residency. Lastly, students have to be eligible for FAFSA.
