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3. College through CAMP: Access, Community, and Opportunity to Learn
- University of Arizona Press
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60 3 College through CAMP Access, Community, and Opportunity to Learn there are still problems in providing access and opportunities for marginalized Mexican American students (Gándara and Contreras , 2009). And even if they are provided with access to particular communities of practice, often the practice within those communities is disconnected from the social and academic networks that could provide students with the necessary cultural and academic capital necessary to thrive in a complex web of social and schooling contexts (Stanton-Salazar, 2001; Tinto, 1993). When provided with access to the social, cultural, personal, and academic networks in college that lead to relationships with faculty, staff, and peers, students thrive and persist (Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991, 2005). Furthermore, studies show that the influence and learning that come from social and academic support networks do not have to be extensive and complicated to contribute to student success. They begin as very localized and intimate . At the high-school level, for example, a migrant student club serves as a community within the larger community of high school (Gibson, Bejínez, Hidalgo, and Rolón, 2004). It is a place where students could enact a common discourse, practice a student identity that engages their history of language and culture and not feel misplaced or stigmatized. They could be students while being Mexican and migrant at the same time. Such spaces within the vastness of Access, Community, and Opportunity to Learn 61 school and schooling are essential to the retention of marginalized Mexican American students, at all levels of schooling. It is a space that resembles that of a family. Woven throughout the CAMP program were numerous spaces that created a family-like network with members that counted on each other for personal and academic support. These spaces were part of a larger program design that considered not only the need for building community, relationships, and trust in one another, but learning and understanding the pragmatics of academic and collegegoing persistence. The CAMP program design and philosophy recognized the importance of weaving together the practical with the passionate in teaching and learning for student success. CAMP encompassed a number of courses, events, workshops, and other programmatic characteristics that provided various forms of support. The beginning of the school year consisted of orientations and meetings in which students would gain practical knowledge and insight about registering for classes, applying for financial aid, and learning good study habits. At some of these same orientations there would be motivational guest speakers who also served as role models for the students. Some of the courses were offered as learning communities in which the entire cohort of CAMP students would take two common courses together, such as English and Freshman Seminar. In these classes, guest speakers were frequently invited to address various topics related to the students’ lives. Students then wrote papers or did projects based on what they gleaned from the speakers. These courses were often team-taught by instructors who were readily available to assist the students not only with their academics , but with personal issues as well. Another part of the curriculum was the Adventure Learning course. In this course the students learned about trust and building community, but they also learned problem-solving skills and practiced their writing. Outside of the regular curriculum, the CAMP program also provided tutoring services, field trips, financial aid guidance, and counseling on planning for the next academic year as well as postgraduate academic and professional opportunities. The CAMP community of practice was a network comprised of invested individuals who cared about student success. Available to address the academic and the personal were the CAMP coordinator, [44.201.64.238] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 21:08 GMT) 62 LEARNING THE POSSIBLE recruiter, and counselors, usually found in a student lounge in the building where the CAMP office was located. These CAMP officials took on many roles to meet the needs of the students. It was not uncommon to see a CAMP student sitting and crying with the CAMP coordinator after a long day of classes. The lounge was often the place where CAMP students congregated, tutored one another, or just commiserated. There was also the CAMP Cyber Mentor Project , in which students were mentored by individuals experienced as college students, many with professional and advanced degrees, and Latino like the students. Principally via e-mail communication, mentors provided guidance, wisdom, and practical advice on succeeding in college. This authentic caring went beyond superficialities and simple acknowledgment of one another...