CSUMB gets $2.1 million grant to help enroll more migrant students

California State University, Monterey Bay has received a $2.1 million federal grant aimed at enrolling more migrant students in higher education.

Awarded by the U.S Department of Education, the five-year grant will enable CSUMB to offer financial assistance, academic and career services, cultural and social enrichment and health and counseling services through the College Assistance Migrant Program or CAMP, according to Joan Weiner, a university spokeswoman.

The goal of the program is to create a paradigm shift in the minds of students and their parents, to help them believe that college is possible, and to provide the support they need to succeed once they arrive on campus.

The grant started in July and runs through June of 2019. It will provide services and assistance for 55 migrant students from Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara counties.

Services provided by the CAMP grant will also include parent orientations, high school and community outreach events, admissions and financial aid application workshops, one-week summer orientation programs and tutoring.

An estimated 31,000 migrant students live in the four-county area served by the grant, making the Central Coast home to 25 percent of migrant students in California. In Monterey County, the average farm worker has an annual income of $18,397.