This past July, 22 students had the opportunity to participate in the SUNY Oneonta Migrant Leadership Academy (SOMLA) at Oneonta, NY.
The SUNY Oneonta Migrant Leadership Academy is a ten day residential program that provides eligible migrant students with the opportunity to be exposed to college, career, and work possibilities while staying at the SUNY Oneonta campus.
The program helps students develop leadership skills, explores opportunities beyond high school, and strengthens their identities as students and members of society. The main goal of this program is for students to adopt life-long skills which can be applied to their daily lives through college readiness classes, identity development workshops, group projects, and career exploration activities either taught or overseen by college professors.
Participants learn how to leverage their strengths, reflect on their past experiences, and explore their passion and interests while earning one college credit. During their time at SOMLA, students receive over 30 hours of college-level instruction in a supportive environment designed to be engaging and relevant to migrant high school students. Students also participate in field trips, healthy living workshops, daily physical activity, and a soccer tournament. In addition they make positive connections with a diverse range of mentors of similar backgrounds.
Here are a few student reflections from this year’s 2018 SOMLA program:
“the most important part is that I learned is that giving up is not the answer and the most helping part of the leadership academy for me is that it help me to know education is important and you can do want you want if you put your mind into it”
“The most important and helpful part was being able to be leader….Its your choice if you want to let your barriers and struggles define your future or if you want to be more open minded and overcome those struggles to have a better future. I also like meeting new people with something that I could relate to, either culture , language or just that we all come from parents that do agricultural work or even ourselves.”
“This program is a piece of heaven, a place in which I am accepted and I get to hang out with people that care”
“This is the best decision I have made in a long time”
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