High School Equivalency Program to hold graduation ceremony this week

About 40 migrant, seasonal farmworkers to participate in Thursday's ceremony

By California State University, Bakersfield

July 10^th, 2024

California State University, Bakersfield will host a graduation ceremony this Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Dorè Theatre for about 40 migrant seasonal farmworkers who have successfully completed the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and are headed from the fields to new jobs or post-secondary studies.

“Our graduation is a little different than most,” said Lou Montano, director of HEP, which has graduated about 1,000 students in its 19-year history at CSUB. “This is a celebration for the families, where you’ll have sons and daughters see their mom and dad graduating. They’re like role models to their families, to their community, and that’s really special. It’s a wonderful triumph for these families.”

CSUB provides the most comprehensive educational programs to migrant and seasonal farmworker families in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. In addition to HEP, the university offers the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) to first-year CSUB students who are farmworkers or the children of farmworkers.

Both programs are funded through five-year grants administered by the United States Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education and are highly competitive. Few institutions in the nation offer both. In the CSU system — the largest and most diverse network of higher education institutions in the nation — only the campuses at Fullerton, Sacramento and Bakersfield have HEP programs.

Cal State Bakersfield’s HEP and CAMP grants are in the last year of the five-year grant cycle. In December, the program directors will submit applications for another round of funding to continue the transformative work on behalf of Kern County’s migrant seasonal farmworkers. Montano expects to hear next spring whether CSUB’s grants are renewed.

“In the HEP program, we must serve 80 students per year, and we recruit and run the program year-round,” he said.

Montano noted that CSUB offers high school equivalency classes during the school year at satellite sites at Mira Monte High School, Golden Valley High School, Wasco Independence High School, as well as a summer program at CSUB.