Maria Moya came from Mexico to the United States with her family at 13. She didn’t speak English and felt alone in a culture so foreign from her own.

Her new life in the U.S. started with nothing except the goal of attending a university. Today, Moya is an undeclared freshman at Sacramento State and much of her success is due to the College Assistance Migrant Program.

“It has helped me a lot with questions about financial aid and tutors,” Moya said.

Many migrant students on campus may be unaware of the existence of the program. Such students are missing out on an excellent opportunity to gain access to resources that could help them get the most out of their college experience.

This is why every student from a migrant background should take advantage of the services the program offers.

The program helps students from migrant farm-working households adapt to college life and complete their higher education. The program offers tutoring, registration services and even help finding housing.

Sac State is truly fortunate to have a program that invests so much into this sector of the student population, giving 80 freshman and 300 continuing students a better opportunity.

The migrant worker culture is one in which education is not always championed. It is difficult for students from a migrant family to make it to college. Often promising students emerging from this background find themselves overwhelmed upon entering a university atmosphere.

For many migrant students, English is their second language, which is why English tutoring is of such great help to them. Helping them find housing also allows them to focus on their studies instead of worrying about finding a place to live on their own.

Moya’s transition into college life has been smooth, although she struggles with time management. The program counselors have been a big help in this area. They monitor student progress in each course and provide study hours at the program office.

Most importantly, what Moya enjoys about the program is feeling like she is part of a family.

“When you go in there you’re going to feel it right away,” Moya said.

The family atmosphere the program provides is a different facet of the support it offers. The organization is not only concerned with the students’ academic success, but also takes the time to ensure they are doing well on a personal level.

Freshman sociology major Yoana Martinez explained that the program went beyond merely helping her get to know the university and find housing, it gave her a sense of closeness with fellow students.

“It‘s a really good start in college to not feel lonely,” Martinez said. “You have somewhere to come and spend time with friends.”

The program fulfills important goals at Sac State, which are developing a true sense of community and carrying out the purpose of public higher education.

Even though we would like to think that our campus is a nice little community, the truth is it can be a pretty lonely place. While the majority of students are polite, quite often we find ourselves isolated knowing few faces among the crowd of Sac State students.

The program allows its students to feel integrated into Sac State while letting them know they are not alone; they are part of a community of staff and fellow students who care about their success.

On a larger scale, the program helps carry out the purpose of public higher education, which is to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience a richer life. Education acts as an equalizer in society. With an education, anyone, regardless of socio-economic background, has the chance to succeed.

Through the program, committed students who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to complete their degree, let alone attend a university, are graduating and bettering not only themselves, but their communities in the process.

The program helps not only its members, but our university as a whole. More students on campus should be informed about it and, if possible, become involved with CAMP.