Recipients of HACER scholarships and tuition waivers honored at the Statewide MSDR Conference include, back row from left, Jorge Campos, Salvador Cisneros Jr., and Jonathan Badillo-Guerrero, and, front from left, Juanita Alvarez and Griselda Gonzalez.

 Conference honors
top students, educators

Recruitment expert promotes
more positive, unified efforts

By Editor Ken Harvey

“If we fail to pull together, we are like a bunch of mules pulling in different directions,” says Harold Porras, project manager of Identification and Recruitment at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton, Calif. “We must have one vision to serve the migrant community.”

Porras spoke to over 225 federal project directors, migrant records clerks, home visitors and educators gathered for this year’s Washington Migrant Education Program Statewide MSDR Conference held in Yakima in August.

The number of migrant students recruited into the Migrant Education Program in San Joaquin County grew from 9,200 to 20,000 in just five years, presenting tremendous challenges to Porras’ staff and to educators.

The key to his staff’s success during rapid growth was the hiring of “momentum makers who always see the glass half full and always look for solutions to problems rather than being defeated by them,” Porras says.

This is vital in dealing with students and families facing some of the greatest obstacles to success.

“Migrant education is doing a great job, although we can do better,” Porras says.

In Washington the MSDR conference is an important tool in providing enhanced skills and motivation for migrant education staff.

“This year we tried to offer more of a variety for home visitors and records clerks,” says Lee Campos, director of the Migrant Student Data and Recruitment (MSDR) Office. Participants were able to choose from among 25 different training workshops.

“MERO (Migrant Education Regional Office) staff did an excellent job of providing sessions targeting parental involvement, and SEMY and other agencies were able to provide sessions on community services available to migrant families,” he says.

The conference went well, Campos says, but he and his staff are already planning improvements for next year.

Doug Adelstein of Lynden School District received the Federal Projects Director of the Year Award. Mary Kernel, director of MERO 189, based in Anacortes, noted Adelstein’s “exceptional leadership,” adding that “he measures his success by the success of students.”

Adelstein organized a potluck dinner to welcome Latinos to school and let parents know that their opinions mattered to him. Then he personally visited parents of children not attending school rather than just sending the home visitor.

“I’m sure Doug could have made a lot more money in private industry, but he chose to go into education,” Kernel said.

Adelstein returned the compliment.

“We rely heavily on the MERO, and they are always there. If they don’t have an answer, they don’t shuck and jive. They tell me so, and then try to get answers or form partnerships,” he says.

Melito Ramirez, who works for both Walla Walla and College Place School Districts, won the Migrant Records Clerk of the Year Award. He was praised for his excellent people skills and his dedication in “always looking for new ways to benefit students.”

Betty Guizer of Kennewick was named Home Visitor of the Year. Rachel Carrera of MSDR noted that Betty has been involved in migrant education for 30 years,

“Betty is a dedicated advocate and has a real positive attitude. She is also an excellent role model in completing her COEs (certificates of eligibility) and everything a migrant recruiter would hope for,” said Carrera.

Carrera noted that Guizer served some 200 families last year and welcomed some into her own home so they wouldn’t feel alone at Christmas.

Numerous people were honored for their years of service in migrant education, including Special Recognition Award recipients Ruben Carrera of Sunnyside, Jean Kulakowski of Lake Chelan and Cathy Longoria of Moses Lake – each with over 20 years of service.

Ruben Carrera, who retired this year as Sunnyside’s executive director of parent/school community resources after 38 years of service, says he’s still not done serving migrant families. But now his main job is “driving Miss Daisy” (his wife Rachel) around in her job as MSDR migrant student identification and recruitment coordinator.

Awards were also given out by the Portable Assisted Study Sequence (PASS) Program, which offers fully accredited high school courses that can be completed by a student semi-independently, with the assistance of a PASS-approved mentor, referred to as a PASS contact person.

Contact Person of the Year was Eastmont’s Julia Renteria, praised for her “vigilant oversight of PASS students.” The PASS Student of the Year was Charles Wesley of Granger, who was praised for overcoming many obstacles in using the PASS curriculum to catch up and prepare for graduation.

Mike Taylor, the Washington State migrant health state supervisor, announced the Health Provider of the Year Award recipients – Diana Anaya-McMaster and Rosa Maria Espinoza, both of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Health and Recovery Services Administration.

According to Taylor, Washington is the best state for migrant youth health services, but the key for Taylor’s migrant health programs is identifying people at DSHS who really understand the rules and opportunities.

Espinoza, he noted, is a former migrant student who has now worked for DSHS for over 20 years. Anaya-McMaster, he said, is very supportive. She is a registered nurse with a strong background in public health. And between the two, “there’s never a situation where they cannot find an answer to the problem.”

Also honored were students who received scholarships or tuition waivers through the HACER (Helping Migrants Acquire College Educational Resources) foundation.

Recipients of $1,000 scholarships were Jorge Campos of Yakima, Salvador Rodriguez of Touchet, Angela Chavez Lara of Pasco, Salvador Cisneros Jr. of Mattawa, Marilu Cruz of Wapato, Alcides Rivas of Wenatchee, Johnathan Badillo-Guerrero of Yakima, Abigail N. Martinez-Lopez of Mt. Vernon, Juanita Alvarez of Highland and Alejandro Magana of Pasco.

Tuition waivers to Central Washington University were given to Yolizma Flores of Highland and Griselda Gonzalez of Wenatchee.

Tuition waivers to Heritage University were given to Maria D. Martinez of Yakima, Celida Diaz of Mabton, Fatima Ruelas of Sunnyside, Rosa Gutierrez of Yakima and Cindy Mendoza of Yakima.