Unlocking Potential
How a Summer Camp Partnership Paves the Way to Higher Education
By Elyse Paul '20
After students move out of their residence halls in May, around 500 eager summer campers move into Le Mans, Holy Cross, and McCandless in June and July. These campers, between the ages of 6 and 18, arrive on campus excited to learn, make new friends, and enjoy a taste of independence. Saint Mary’s student counselors act as campers’ “big sisters,” accompanying them on field trips, roaming the dining hall, exploring interests, and creating lasting friendships.
For over 40 years, Saint Mary’s has hosted educational summer camps for young girls that introduce them to life on campus. Today, the College continues to expand the reach of this programming to students across the country and internationally, providing access to a college campus where students might imagine themselves pursuing higher education in the future. This entry point makes college a real possibility for students who may not have considered it otherwise.
Of the nearly 500 students on campus in 2023, 18 were children of migrant farm workers from across Indiana, attending a summer arts program coordinated by the South Bend Community School Corporation Bilingual Services Department (BSD). The new residential program, ArtFull Adventures, was established through the Indiana Migrant Education Program, designed to help migrant students experience life as an undergraduate. The BSD has become a leader in the local community in connecting English-speaking and multilingual learners, including immigrant, refugee, and migrant students and their families, to a multitude of services within the state of Indiana. These services help migratory children overcome educational disruption and cultural and language barriers and prepare them for postsecondary education or employment.
Hosting the Community on Campus
The ArtFull Adventures summer program is coordinated by BSD director Julia Cordova-Gurule and Federico Rodriguez, the family outreach coordinator. Migrant students between 8th and 12th grade spent one week living in McCandless Hall and full days touring the area’s universities, theaters, and museums. In 2023, students received professional instruction in the Moreau Center for the Arts from seven performing and visual artists from the South Bend community. The group concluded the week by creating a final project, mosaics centered around higher education themes, overcoming struggles, and experiencing triumphs. “The program’s purpose is to get students to the point where they leave the migrant lifestyle because it’s a hard one, and then move on to greater things,” said Cordova-Gurule. Through this program, young minds are transformed through art and education: the campers gain a deeper understanding of themselves, growing in self-confidence that extends beyond an artistic canvas.
We welcome students of all backgrounds and prepare to meet their needs even before they arrive on our campus.
– Gabriela Maxwell, director of summer camps and pre-college programs
Saint Mary’s campus makes a perfect backdrop for a summer devoted to igniting creativity, broadening horizons, inspiring dreams, and offering young talent a platform to grow. On the first day of ArtFull Adventures, students received a tour of campus and acclimated themselves to their environment. Saint Mary’s served as home base, but the campus also provided artistic inspiration. “Students worked on a stencil activity on Lake Marian Island, which provided beautiful sunny weather and scenery,” recalled Rodriguez. Centered on collaboration, the week-long program strengthened bonds between Saint Mary’s and regional students and partner organizations.
One Connection Leads to Another
The partnership between the BSD and Saint Mary’s College was formed through a web of established connections with the greater South Bend community. Christin Kloski ’15, Saint Mary’s director of student equity, was the first connection that Cordova-Gurule and Rodriguez made at the College. Kloski presented to BSD about exciting happenings at Saint Mary’s, and how South Bend public schools’ educators might utilize Saint Mary’s as a resource. So when the ArtFull Adventures camp needed a home for its inaugural summer, Saint Mary’s College was the first place to come to mind.
Kloski introduced Cordova-Gurule and Rodriguez to Gabriela Maxwell, Saint Mary’s director of summer camps and pre-college programs. The new connection proved to be wonderful. “We were looking for a university to partner with because we wanted to have the opportunity for students to be on campus over the summertime. I am so happy we chose Saint Mary’s,” said Cordova-Gurule, adding that “the people were so welcoming. It was a great experience.” She credits Maxwell and the Saint Mary’s staff with exceptional hospitality. “The Saint Mary’s summer camp team made time to show us the locations and talk about safety and security on campus,” added Rodriguez. Maxwell made resources available to Cordova-Gurule and Rodriguez’s team, further connecting them with other people and assistance to support the success of their first summer program. “We welcome students of all backgrounds and prepare to meet their needs even before they arrive on our campus,” said Maxwell. “Every step of the process is tailored to make students feel safe, embraced, stimulated, and at home.” Hospitality and generosity play an essential role in the mission of Saint Mary’s and the work of summer camps and programs. “Camp readiness kits” were prepared if students came to campus without toiletries, pillows, and linens. Providing these essentials was one of the ways Saint Mary’s made students feel at home on campus so they could be themselves, come out of their shells, and make great memories.
Education and Access Know No Age
The newfound partnership between the BSD and Saint Mary’s College continues to flourish: ArtFull Adventures will return to campus in the summer of 2024, a stepping stone to more opportunities for education in the region. Maxwell seized this moment to offer camp scholarships to South Bend students identified by BSD. Rodriguez and Maxwell worked together to identify campers who might benefit from attending additional summer program offerings at Saint Mary’s. For example, eight who received camp scholarships attended the Saint Mary’s Embody Theology Institute, Dialogue and Democracy Institute, and the Spark Entrepreneurship Institute. “We know there are students who just need that little bit of extra support to expand their horizons. It took some convincing and encouragement because parents weren’t sure if their daughters were ready to spend a week away from home,” said Rodriguez. “If parents allow their daughter to have this opportunity, then she will be much more prepared when she goes off to college. So, we feel honored and blessed to receive those scholarships to provide for our high school students.”
Meeting Needs and Filling Gaps
A key priority of the College is to educate women at every stage of life. Through a $1 million Lilly Endowment, Inc. grant in 2023, Saint Mary’s has extended beyond its core enterprises of baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs to focus on enhanced educational programs for girls who could be the first in their families to attend college. This generous gift from Lilly Endowment supports day and overnight programs that will move the needle on college attainment in Indiana. “Through the grant funding, we can provide scholarships for all camp participants, so no student who wants to attend one of our programs is denied that opportunity,” said Maxwell. In 2023, over 300 camp participants received scholarships, including some full tuition, leading to an overall increase in first-time campers. Finding new ways for young students to access our campus resources is integral to the blossoming partnerships between the College’s summer camps and the community. For the first summer ever, Saint Mary’s welcomed students to camp from outside the United States, including Brazil, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the Netherlands.
Last summer, Belen Pacheco-Salazar ’26 interned in the Saint Mary’s summer camp office. As a high school junior, she attended the Embody Theology Institute, an experience she says led her to enroll at Saint Mary’s College. During her internship, she provided valuable knowledge and support for Spanish-speaking parents interested in registering their children for camp. Her fluency in Spanish served as a vital point of connection between Saint Mary’s and the community.
“I wanted to break a barrier,” said Pacheco-Salazar as she recalled helping Spanish-speaking parents apply for scholarships, register for camp, and fill out consent forms over the phone and in the office. “If I didn’t assist those parents, their kids may not have had the opportunity to come to camp. Our overall goal was to reach more people of different ages and demographics.” Pacheco-Salazar and Maxwell were frequently called upon to meet needs and keep students safe on campus. For the entirety of summer camps, desk workers, camp counselors, nurses, and a mental health professional provided support for the students’ safety and the parents’ peace of mind. Pacheco-Salazar and other student counselors received safety and Title IX training before the campers arrived. When participants moved in, Pacheco-Salazar made sure to introduce herself to parents who were dropping their students off for the week. “There was a student with her family who mostly spoke Spanish and was feeling quite nervous about camp,” Pacheco-Salazar recalled, “I talked to her mom for a while and answered her questions. By the end, the mom expressed gratitude to all the staff there for making her daughter’s experience a positive one.” Often students experience homesickness while on campus. Pacheco-Salazar helped her participants navigate these feelings with ease. As the oldest in her family, she used her experience as a sister to help stay attuned to her campers’ emotional well-being. A friendly face and trusting smile were often all it took to help campers feel safe, seen, and heard.
Pacheco-Salazar looks back fondly on her time as a camp participant and a counselor. ”‘Rewarding” was the word she used to describe the memories she made as a camp counselor, mentoring students and making them feel at home. As a first-generation student herself, Pacheco-Salazar felt called to provide the support she would have wanted when she was a high school student. “Now, I’m doing the things my parents weren’t able to do, and that’s why giving other people opportunities is important to me,” Pacheco-Salazar acknowledged. “My role last summer felt like a full circle moment for me to give back to the community.”
Like Pacheco-Salazar, many current Saint Mary’s students were introduced to Saint Mary’s through summer camps and programs. The partnerships between Saint Mary’s and the community serve as a way to connect these high school students to campus. Finding partners with a shared goal to build self-esteem, self-advocacy, and strong student leaders proves to be beneficial to all parties. With help from these community partnerships, Saint Mary’s continues to identify and provide highly motivated students of all backgrounds an avenue to reach their fullest potential and pursue academic achievement beyond high school.
June 1, 2024
