NMSU Celebrates 25 Years of Supporting Students from Migrant Farmworker Families

New Mexico State University’s College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) continued its 25th anniversary celebration during Homecoming week with an open house Friday, November 6, at the CAMP offices in Milton Hall.

The event featured Tierra Transversal, an art installation by NMSU art alumna Citlali Delgado. Visitors were invited to explore the artwork, enjoy refreshments and learn about the program’s history and its impact on more than 700 students from migrant farmworker families.

Established in 2002 with an initial group of seven students, CAMP helps eligible students from migrant farmworker backgrounds navigate the challenges of entering college, particularly those who are first-generation university students. The program provides academic guidance, mentoring and other support services to help students succeed.

The event was open to the public and visitors were invited to celebrate the success of NMSU’s CAMP program and more than 700 students whose lives have changed thanks to this program. (Photos Courtesy NMSU News via Facebook)

Cynthia Bejarano, NMSU Regents professor and founder of the university’s CAMP program, recalled visiting the Santiago family in Sunland Park with Raymundo Lara, now a state representative, to encourage the family to send three of their children to NMSU.

Over the years, CAMP alumni have pursued careers in medicine, engineering, education, business and other fields. Among them are Manuel “Manny” Serrano, a senior research-and-development mechanical engineer at Sandia National Laboratories; Sandra Gutiérrez, founder of Strength and Hope Therapy Center in Las Cruces; and Daniel Ramirez Gordillo, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Many former participants have returned to mentor and support current students, continuing the program's emphasis on building connections between generations of graduates.

Martha Estrada, a first-generation college graduate and granddaughter of a Bracero farmworker, serves as director of NMSU CAMP. She began working with the program as an academic adviser in 2004 and returned as director in 2018.

“CAMP is not tied to any specific ethnicity or ethnic culture,” Estrada said. “What binds us are the shared values of working the land, of being low-income and first-generation college students.”

The program secured a $2.4 million, five-year federal grant in 2022. According to NMSU, the State of New Mexico subsequently continued funding the program after federal funding reductions.

The Homecoming open house was among several activities marking CAMP's 25th year of service, with additional anniversary events planned throughout the coming year.