Carlos Orozco demonstrates a bit of engineering skill during the Migrant Summer Leadership Institute (MSLI) being held through Aug. 10 at CSU Channel Islands. After an orientation for parents, high school students take part in a series of programs designed to prepare them for college life. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands.
CSU Channel Islands hosting its first Migrant Summer Leadership Institute
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
Building multidimensional shapes out of plastic tubing and using Mentos and soda to propel race cars.
While at first glance the exercises seem like children’s play, for high school students at CSU Channel Islands the exercises this month are a serious part in learning about advanced concepts of mathematics and physics.
It’s also a fun way to interact with nearly 100 other members of the first Migrant Summer Leadership Institute (MSLI) at the university.
Through Aug. 10, students are developing their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills, learn what it is like to study and live at a university and consider higher education as a serious option.
“The university, starting with our president, wanted to make sure we provide opportunities to support our migrant population,” said Damien Pena, associate vice president for Student Affairs/Dean of Students at CSU Channel Islands. “I know that we’re committed to a college-going culture in Ventura County and this is one more way we can do it.”
For the past 10 years, UCLA has hosted a Migrant Scholars Leadership Institute. However, the California Department of Education added the STEM component for this year and sent the program out to bid.
CSU Channel Islands and CSU Sacramento won the bids this year for the program, Pena said.
Carlos Avitia trys his hand building tetrahedrons at the CSU Channel Islands Migrant Summer Leadership Institute. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands.
The 98 students attending the program come from 13 migrant education regions throughout the state. A total of seven students are from Ventura County, said Breana Christie, director of University Outreach and associate director of Student Life at the university.
“I know Ventura County is one of the bigger migrant programs in the state,” she said. “This is really cool to be exposed to college life prior to becoming a college student.”
During the program, students are learning about STEM career paths, doing research and writing and taking a one-credit college-level class (UNIV 100 University Life and Culture), Christie said. The students are broken up into four different groups or tracks of 25 (Yellow, Blue, Green and Red), will spend a full day of learning and have computer time to finish their projects.
Some of their classes include writing and researching for STEM, memory and reading, listening and notes, test taking, career path, habits for success and learning styles, goal setting and critical and creative thinking, time and money management and enhanced algebra.
“They are taking classes in leadership, STEM learning and research and we have some of the best field trips planned,” Pena said, including a trip to Santa Cruz Islands, a visit to the California Science Center in Los Angeles and a screening at the Roxy Theater in Camarillo of “Pacific Rim,” followed by a lecture by a professor on the physics and math involved in the movie.
The students will also visit Channel Islands Under the Stars, an inflatable planetarium to learn about telescopes and geocaching, and construct large geodesic domes and other structures using Zome building kits, Christie said.
“Today, they are using Mentos and Diet Coke to propel a race car,” Pena said. “It’s been a little bit messy but they are learning about physics.”
The students have also been building and flying tetrahedral kites and have posted more than 200 photos of their efforts on Instagram under the hashtag http://statigr.am/tag/msli2013, he said.
But while the program has been fun and educational for the students, parent support is vital for them to succeed. To help parents learn about the opportunities of college life for their children, the institute began the program with a two-day college residential program for 40 parents on July 26-27.
The parents attended sessions explaining the benefits of a college education, financial aid and scholarships, pre-college and college coursework, college life, how to support their college-bound students, and spending the night in the Anacapa Village student housing, Christie said.
Students and parents build tetrahedrons and learn about geometry and other math skills in late July at the CSU Channel Islands Migrant Summer Leadership Institute. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands.
Scheduled speakers and programs for the parents on June 26 included a welcome to the university by Pena and Jorge Garcia, MSLI faculty and translator, Ricardo Torres and Andrés Durán; a pre-assessment and focus group talk with Harley Baker, professor of psychology; a “Getting ready for college Part 1” lecture by Monica Rivas, academic advisor/special populations coordinator at the university; a “Getting ready for college Part 2” session by Vanessa Mendoza, coordinator of University Outreach; “Overview of financial aid & scholarships” by Sonia Chavez, director of Financial Aid & Scholarships at the university; and a reception and dinner featuring Durán and José Alamillo, professor of Chicano/a Studies, who talked about “What a college education can do for your child.”
Scheduled speakers and programs for the parents on June 27 included “Understanding majors” by Karen Carey, associate vice president for Arts & Sciences at the university; “Getting ready for college Part 3: Exploring the A-G’s, college prep coursework in high school” by Tania Tolteca; “Supporting your child for collegiate success” by Durán and Tolteca; and presentations from current students about college life.
“The parents are all migrant workers and so they didn’t have an opportunity to have a university experience and are not familiar with the process,” Pena said. “This gives them the opportunity to give them a crash course.”
The $250,000 MSLI grant allows the university to commit adequate resources to provide the migrant students to a topnotch college introduction program.
“We have 17 peer mentors, two writing tutors, 10 resident assistants, 12 faculty, myself and co-director and seven support staff,” Pena said. “There is a very strong commitment.”
The university received the grant based on a detailed proposal by the state to create summer institutes that help migrant students overcome educational disruption and provide for a smooth transition to college. The curriculum is designed by university professors and staff to offer academic enrichment activities, leadership opportunities, college preparation and exposure to STEM. Pena hopes the university can bring the program back in 2014.
“We will definitely apply for it next year,” he said.
While the program is not designed to be a recruiting tool for CSU Channel Islands, “We certainly hope they will consider the university as one of their college options,” Christie said.
For more information, contact Breana Christie at breana.christie@csuci.edu or 805-312-4843.
Students craft a variety of geometric shapes at the CSU Channel Islands Migrant Summer Leadership Institute. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands.