One of my favorite topics is our Why—why we do what we do and why it matters. Today’s Why comes from Osciel Salazar, Associate Director of CAMP, the College Assistance Migrant Program at Idaho State.
From her senior year in high school, Giselle Saldivar knew that she wanted to study at Idaho State University. She had her educational and career goals outlined, so all she had to do was move four-and-a-half hours from Weiser to Pocatello…and tackle the challenge of being a first-generation college student. Giselle’s biggest obstacle as the first in her family to go to college? Find ways to fund her education and connect to the resources that would help her succeed. Giselle was proactive when it came to finding resources at ISU, and she was accepted to the Honors Program, attended Bengal Bridge, and applied to the College Assistant Migrant Program (CAMP).
CAMP helps alleviate some of the barriers that first-generation students from migrant backgrounds face when entering postsecondary education. Each year CAMP recruits and selects 30 students from migrant and/or seasonal agricultural backgrounds to join the program. Students are provided with financial, academic, and social support to help them adjust to college life, providing a home away from home, where students can connect with other students from similar backgrounds and not feel isolated.
And Giselle is converting all of that support into something impressive! She is part of the Honors College program at Idaho State University. She serves as the secretary of the Marketing Association club, and she is double majoring in Business and Marketing & Management. In the fall she plans to study abroad in Valencia, Spain, to earn her third degree in Spanish. If you ask Giselle about her inspiration, she says that she wants to be able to provide bilingual finance support for the Latino community and to make her family proud.
Giselle, we’re proud of you and of the CAMP staff who enable stories like this to happen!
Keep roaring, Bengals!
Lyn Redington
Vice President for Student Affairs
and Enrollment Management
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Did You Know About This One? |
There are many students just like Giselle who have a dream for their lives and are looking for opportunities to succeed. We try to feature one of our Student Affairs services that help students attain their dreams in every publication, but, if your student needs some help, resources, or support, reach out to us at our Bengal Family Network email (bengalfamilynetwork@isu.edu), and we’ll help your student get connected. In the meantime, did you know about this one?
TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS) serves up to 1,600 students from 17 high schools both in the Magic Valley and South East Idaho Region. In Fall 2021, TRIO ETS connected more than 350 students from low-income, first-generation backgrounds to college campuses, including Idaho State University, helping students to learn about admissions, tour college campuses, identify scholarship/financial literacy resources, and prepare their academic road map to enter post-secondary education.
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Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. If you’d like to show a little love for students in need, Benny’s Pantry is an excellent option. For February, the pantry could use baking supplies, including cooking oils of any kind, flour, and cake, quick-bread, or dessert mixes. Of course, staples of any kind are always needed, always welcome. You can drop off your donations at the pantry, or you can leave them at the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs (Pond Student Union, Hypostyle Room 204, Pocatello campus), and we’ll deliver them for you.
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Resilience Training Offered February through April |
Resilience is for everyone. Resiliency Skills Training, sponsored by Counseling and Testing, is a four-week curriculum that offers a selection of evidence-based exercises to build resilience skills and promote thriving. This training group will meet on Tuesdays, from 1:00-2:00 p.m., and will be offered in three 4-week sessions from February to April. For more information, scan the QR code in the flyer or contact Counseling and Testing at (208) 282-2130. |
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The Pond Student Union is hosting the Comedy Project in the Bengal Cafe at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4, 2022. Join in the laughs as The Comedy Project and the ISU PAC RATS (ISU's very own improv group) team up in a competitive improv comedy show they like to call "Showdown, Throwdown." Be prepared for some serious funny business as these teams compete to see who will be the winner. Free to all (PG-13). |
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Helping Students Stay Connected during the Pandemic - Spotlight on Student Orgs |
Pivot, regroup, adjust, adapt, and revise are just a few ever-present verbs in our new vocabulary. In fact they may have become so familiar that we have forgotten that these modifications come with a whole host of obstacles and challenges…and opportunities.
For the past two years, ISU’s student organizations have not forgotten their important role on campus, and they have been pivoting, regrouping, adjusting, and adapting to ensure that students have an outlet for their passions and a connection to the University. Along the way, they found a way to turn those challenges into growth and opportunity.
When you look up the definition for a club, organization, or an association, it ultimately states that their primary role is to bring groups of people together. Motivated by similar interests, they join to engage in activities. Our student organizations did an incredible job of maintaining that connection with their university and one another in a time when circumstances made their core objective nearly impossible to achieve. In the previous year, organizations pivoted by hosting Zoom meetings, virtual gatherings, and upping their social media game, but they also took time to go beyond their regular routine and strengthen connections with alumni, faculty, and staff.
This year, as opportunities for regrouping have become available, our student organizations have jumped in full-force, hosting events and activities for their clubs and the campus that include weekly in-person club meetings, fraternity and sorority recruitment weeks, campus fun runs, and the upcoming Annual Ice Fishing Derby in American Falls hosted by the American Fisheries Society. Some of our cultural organizations are still facing limitations to their traditional events as a result of Covid protocols; however, they have taken this opportunity to create new events to educate and entertain. The Japan Club has sponsored an evening at the Lava Hot Springs pools, and the Nepalese Student Association hosted a soccer tournament on campus.
Amazingly enough, our organizations have not only survived, they have thrived! This year has seen the addition of nine new clubs and a brand new fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. The work that has gone into maintaining, developing, and creating these clubs can not be overstated. Clubs are the backbone of our student life experience. They deliver opportunities for students to share, learn, develop, grow, and—in the past two years—they have been critical for maintaining a connection not only to the University, but, perhaps more importantly, to one another. For more information, check out the Student Engagement & Leadership Center web page and encourage your students to get involved!
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“It’s On Us” Training Coming to ISU |
Date: Monday, April 11, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Wood and Little Wood River Rooms, Pond Student Union, Pocatello Campus
It’s On Us.org was founded in 2014 “following recommendations from the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault that noted the importance of calling everyone into the conversation on sexual assault prevention.” In 2020, the It’s On Us and Yves Saint Laurent partnered to develop the “Abuse is Not Love” awareness campaign. Idaho State University has been selected from universities across the nation to be one of only four campuses to host an in-person* “It’s On Us” training. In fact, Idaho State will be the first in the entire western half of the U.S. to receive this training. The training is free and is open to all ISU students, faculty, and staff, as well as to the community. CLICK HERE FOR THE SESSION SCHEDULE.
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