KAPP-TV (Yakima, Washington) October 20, 2007
New Building For Migrant Student Programs
David Mance / Reporter SUNNYSIDE -- Estrella Aguilar saw the hardships her parents went through as migrant workers. Although she did well in school, she might have ended up in the fields if not for programs that give students the opportunities to succeed. Sunnyside High School student advocate Estrella Aguilar has a busy schedule getting migrant students thinking about college. "I have to constantly change the sign up sheet cause they're just full of students, one time I had like 70 students talking to the Wazzu recruiter," says Aguilar. It wasn't always that way. A former migrant student herself, and now college graduate, back then, Aguilar wanted more. "I did know I had to do something because I didn't want to work in the fields for the rest of my life like my parents," says Aguilar. That's when she got involved with the Secondary Education for Migrant Youth program at the Sunnyside School District. The program ships school courses to migrant students who can't attend regular classes. "They earn about an 80 percent average grade, which means that they're working hard and earning that credit that they need and doing a good job," says director Linda Roberts. Today Sunnyside school officials dedicated a building that hold the S.E.M.Y. program and the Migrant Student Data and Recruitment office. Having both under one roof makes it easier for advocates to help migrant students. "She's doing a wonderful job because she really has her heart in the program and can really relate to and be sensitive to the needs of those students," says Roberts. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have this job either, if it wasn't, because they believed in me," says Aguilar. Along with the long-distance learning, S.E.M.Y. also offers a student leadership program. Migrant students get to attend conferences that expose them to college life, which gets them interested in pursuing a four-year degree.
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