Valdosta State University will host its fourth annual Migrant Student Education Day on Saturday, Oct. 29.
 
An estimated 100 high school students are scheduled to attend this college day experience and learn more about postsecondary education options available to them, shared Ryan Hogan, director of Admissions at VSU. The participating students are either migratory or seasonal farmworkers or the children of these workers.
 
Presented in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education’s Region 2 Migrant Education Program Office, Migrant Student Education Day will kick off at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome breakfast. Throughout the day, the students will attend a series of informative breakout sessions about the college experience, tour the VSU campus, and enjoy lunch at Palms Dining Hall.
 
Hogan said that Migrant Student Education Day is about lowering any perceived barriers these students may have regarding the pursuit of higher education opportunities and academic success — whether they ultimately decide to pursue a degree at VSU or another college or university. Part of VSU’s mission is to provide the resources and support necessary to develop and sustain a higher quality of living, greater economic and community development, and inspired innovation that nurtures and respects the diverse population that calls South Georgia home.  
 
Israel Cortez, regional coordinator of the Georgia Department of Education’s Region 2 Migrant Education Program Office, has arranged transportation for the teens and their families, who live throughout Middle and South Georgia.
The child of migrant farmworkers, Cortez was just 10 years old when his family left Mexico in search of a better life and more educational opportunities in America. He attended school, while working in the fields on weekends and holidays and during times when he did not have any homework, and went on to graduate from VSU with a bachelor’s degree in foreign language education in 2002 and a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2007. He earned his American citizenship and hopes to help other migrant families realize that the path to a better life for their children, a life beyond the fields, begins with the pursuit of knowledge.

Contact Ryan Hogan at (229) 333-5791 or [email protected] to learn more.