Samuel Martinez has been selected as the new CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program) recruiter at Abraham Baldwin College.
As CAMP recruiter, Martinez' primary responsibility is to recruit students into ABAC's CAMP program by contacting schools, migrant outreach programs, and anyone else who works with migrant students. He also attends community events where he can come in contact with students and their parents. On a daily basis, Martinez works with the students in the CAMP program. Currently, there are 26 students in ABAC's program.
A native of Edcouch, Texas, Martinez received his B.A. degree in Latin American Studies from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He also took classes at the University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, which were applied toward his certification as a teacher.
Martinez has worked with migrants in some capacity for most of his life. Before coming to ABAC, he worked as a pesticide safety trainer for Rural Opportunities, Inc. and AmeriCorps where he trained agricultural workers on how to protect themselves from pesticides. He also worked directly with migrants by doing office intake, providing transportation to those who needed it, and helping those in need of food, shelter, and medical attention (translation services). In addition, Martinez worked with a mentoring program, which encouraged migrant students to finish high school and possibly go on to college.
Martinez has several goals he hopes to accomplish as ABAC's CAMP recruiter.
"My primary goal is to find and bring more students to the college," he said. "I hope to give others the opportunity to get ahead in life and to get an education. I want to make ABAC's CAMP program the best that it can be, and I want other schools to see and use our program as a model for their own programs. Being of the same background helps me understand, or try to understand, what some of the parents and students who we will be recruiting may feel or have questions about."
Former CAMP recruiter Rocio Cardenas left the position to become the Director of the CAMP program. For additional information on ABAC's CAMP program, contact Cardenas or Martinez at (229) 386-6934.
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