Colorado State University – Pueblo student leaders focus on migrant community
 
Pueblo- Senior members of the President’s Leadership Program (PLP) at Colorado State University-Pueblo are serving the needs of migrant worker families in Pueblo County this fall through projects developed to enhance their lives in this community. The projects are part of the students’ Applied Leadership class, a three-credit service learning course which encourages students to take their skills, talents, experience and knowledge in leadership, plus their enthusiasm and energy into the community. Each of the students brings specific skills and interests to the project, but the project is handled as a team.
 
The PLP program is a member of the Colorado Leadership Alliance, a consortium of comprehensive leadership education programs at undergraduate institutions across Colorado. Through shared resources and collaborative efforts, CLA’s focus is to develop the next generation of Colorado's leaders. PLP develops and trains emerging leaders at CSU-Pueblo through a four – year academic leadership program focused on academic and experiential learning.
 
Pueblo, like other agricultural centers in the United States, employs a number of migrant workers to assist farmers and ranchers with their crops each year. In this community, more than 2,000 migrant workers (and their family members) are housed, assisted, and schooled through a variety of services provided by local agencies and government offices.
 
The decision to serve the migrant community was based on summer discussions between Shelly Moreschini, PLP director, and Trish Orman, PLP academic director. Moreschini's familiarity with the migrant coalition and Orman's interest in the work of Posada yielded a three-pronged approach that coupled housing issues for migrant families to the education and recreation of migrant children. The PLP students are now working with a team of community leaders who are immersing them into the lives of migrant workers to help them extend the local infrastructures that connect them to southern Colorado. Early in the semester, the students met with community leaders from Posada, El Centro de los Pobres, La Familia Fuerte, and the Migrant Coalition (among others) who continue to help guide their projects.
 
“Our goal is to leave a community legacy for the group or organizations we serve in this project. In other words, we want to provide an infrastructure that will live on long after these students have graduated and moved into their careers,” said Orman. “Our juniors are already expressing interest in carrying on this project after the seniors move on.”
 
Based on visits with key community players, the team of 13 seniors organized three work groups – a tutorial project, a recreation project, and a housing and policies project. Students were required to develop an outline of team goals, a timeline of activities through Dec. 3, as well as an accountability system to help determine task evaluation and self-evaluation.
 
The largest work group is developing a tutoring program for the Center for the Poor based in Avondale. Using the human and physical resources of Avondale Elementary School and a children's literacy program, the tutoring group has developed a focus around reading and language and has partnered with Peak Reader (see www.peakreader.org), the Pueblo Library District, Avondale Elementary, and Sister Nancy Crafton at the Center for the Poor to create a literacy/tutoring program for migrant youth.
 
The second team, Mitch Brown and Tony Arellano, are working with Dr. Jeff Stuyt, professor of exercise science, and one of his program design students, to develop a soccer/recreational field in Avondale. Thanks to Avondale Elementary School for the use of the land, assistance from the CSU-Pueblo Men’s Soccer Team, and lots of hard work and enthusiasm, this facility may soon be a reality for this area.
 
The third team is developing policy – including ground rules, rental agreements, housing plans, and community education - for a wide-scale housing project funded through the grants developed by Posada. One of the team members, Miranda Martensen, also is collecting donations of much-needed items for the migrant workers, like blankets and bedding, winter coats, diapers, and medical supplies.
 
The PLP seniors serving on the various work groups are as follows:
 

Tutorial	Recreation	Housing & Policies
Melanie Basterrechea	Tony Arellano	JT Baker
Natalie Basterrechea	Mitch Brown	Natalie James
Amanda Cordova		Miranda Martensen
Audree Krupka		Tara Miner
Lydia Hunter		Theresa Portillo
Geraldine Trujillo

For information on the President’s Leadership Program, the migrant community projects, or to make donations, contact Moreschini at 719-549-2060 or shelly.moreschini@colostate-pueblo.edu.
 
    
Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.