May 27, 2020 — Many of those who work in the agricultural fields of Ventura County want to see their children get a college education, but worry about the cost, or have no experience with the complexities of applying for university education.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) University Culture Pathways Manager Monica Ocampo makes it her mission to go out into the fields and speak directly to the farmworkers about opportunities to attend CSUCI. She and her team also hold public events to let agricultural workers know that a college education is indeed within reach for farm working families.
The outreach now has a $10,000 boost thanks to the philanthropic arm of a multigenerational agricultural business called Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC). Ocampo and her team are using that grant to launch the Ventura County Student and Family College Readiness Institute.
“The purpose of this institute is to create a yearlong series of workshops and programming for farm working families in Ventura County,” Ocampo said. “The aim is to increase attitude, interest and pathways to a college education with college readiness workshops. Like how to prepare for college, the admission process, financial aid and other pathways to a college education.”
Often parents want to support their children as they apply for and attend college, but are not sure how as they, themselves, may not have gone to college. Ocampo said workshops demystify the college experience for the entire family and provide information to the parents who want to support their children.
“We are thankful for the work done by the University Culture Pathways program as they help families navigate the opportunity of obtaining a higher education,” said Eduardo Lucero, Director of Production in Ventura County for RAC. “As a company, we are highly focused on supporting the wellness and health of our employees through internal wellbeing programs and external collaborations. Supporting the Ventura County Student and Family College Readiness Institute fits perfectly with our philanthropic focus as well as our mission to help enrich the lives of our employees and their families.”
Interest in the events Ocampo has held so far has been great. The annual Dia de Familia regional family conference held on campus each year in February drew 330 participants this year, which included 34 farm working families. RAC is an ideal partner for CSUCI as RAC supports a number of community organizations that promote health and wellbeing for farmworkers.
A powerful component of the outreach program is cultural relevant programming, Ocampo explained, which is something she understands well. Ocampo was raised in Oxnard and her parents were both born in Mexico.
“My dad worked in the fields right outside of what is now CSUCI,” Ocampo said. “My family came from Mexico to be able to provide us better opportunities than they had at home. It’s an honor and a privilege to help other parents like mine.”
Designing a program culturally relevant means making sure the content addresses belief systems and customs that may exist in a specific culture.
“For example, in the Latinx culture, a lot of young women don’t leave the house until they get married,” Ocampo said. “The thought of a daughter going to college and living away from home is not OK. That holds many women back from being able to go to college.”
Another barrier for many farm working families is if one or both parents don’t speak English, so information about college is provided in both Spanish and English.
Ocampo said her own parents couldn’t help her with her homework, financially or help her otherwise navigate her college education, but were always empowering her by telling her they believed she could succeed.
She hopes the program reminds parents that they, too, can support the first member of their family to attend college in more ways than they realize, and that they have a community to help with the rest.
“We’re breaking barriers, we’re changing family trees,” Ocampo said. “As first generation students, if we weren’t going to college, we would continue to do what we know, which is physical labor. Going to college and getting an education opens up opportunities for better jobs, insurance, better health and well-being for the entire family.”