Video Gallery

TMIP's MSI2C2 The Formula to Success! Closing General Session

Go to Video Gallery Added Feb 16, 2024 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//www.txmip.net/apps/embed/?v=368896" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Video and audio of the Texas Migrant Interstate Program's Migratory Student Intrastate and Interstate Coordination Conference The Formula to Success! Closing General Session

Show Transcript

It has been a long couple of days but I hope it's been a good couple of days all of you we certainly pack a lot of information into all of our sessions and into our time together and I for one hope that you have picked up some tools to assist you as you develop your own formula to success to sir our shared migratory students and of course we have to go out with a bang on this conference and so we have a special treat for you it is my pleasure first let me turn on the screen for you it is my pleasure to introduce to you our keynote speaker dr. Anabel Rodriguez. She epitomizes the why behind what we do every single day she grew up as a migratory child, she attended College on a CAMP scholarship, and she now works with farmworker populations. So please help me welcome dr. Anabel Rodriguez! thank you so much Wendy I appreciate the introduction and truly I mean I think one of the reasons that I do the work that I do is is because of the work that y'all did to get me to the point where I'm at and I just want to make sure that the slide is visible to everyone beautiful and you might be wondering why there is a picture of a passport from 1928 this is my great-grandfather but he know once he was Federal program file back and Brie this is of course before World War but during World War II right during the Rosie the Riveter we had about 3.5 alien healthy able-bodied Mexican men come from Mexico to work in the US right to sustain the economy in this presentation is more than that when I was trying to put this together right ever since Wendy contacted me I thought okay what is he the overall theme that I want to present today I know it's the end of the day and I want to make sure that we ended in a very positive note and I thought of the one phrase my dad always tells me and that is say I will come back and be good to people be kind so I thought the theme for today least on my end and what I hope to present today through my story and through the story of those who came before me and my sisters is kindness and how I have encountered kindness in every path of my career and every path of my life and that includes migrant education program Educators staff and other students as well as other parent volunteers so I hope that I'm that I'm able to you know two really Everly translate that and I'm going to try to tell my story through pictures I won't go into detail these pictures but I'll just kind of tell you my story I'm also have a video about some of my work but these these are just some pictures of those who have come before me and those who are sacrificed before be send Mexico and in this country and from those that I carry my strength right I carry who I am as a woman and in who I am as a person and what I do and just how I carry myself from who came before me who worked and showed me how to work hard and showed me how to do every every job with all my heart and this right here is my father has he scored over the years or so lovingly call him Pancho and he really eat is just the Rock in our family from the age of 14 he came to this country all by himself to California to try to to try to send money back to his parents and in-laws I meant I needed so bad but I don't think that he ever dreamed that you know 40 years later he would have four kids who went through migrant education programs for kids wall graduated from college generation students who are now contributing back to these migrant children families both in the Rio Grande Valley where I grew up and now appear in the in the San Antonio Houston area for me I'm as well as my mother who really instilled in me a lot of compassion and and kindness and their story starts in California but really our story started in the Rio Grande Valley I'm south of Texas if you're from if you're from Texas you'll know that's in the tip of Texas the southernmost Tip of Texas and I grew up part of this immigrant migrant family every summer we would travel add to California to the fields of Bakersfield by really large families all together to pick anything in season and I think this is where a lot of that first motivation to do so think bigger with my life started I remember that I met this dating I must have been 13 14 years old and she told me that she had she had married the first manager. the seventeen-year-old because the preset told me the world was going to end right and we're picking next to each other and going you know about her day and then end up in our class because she said and I'm married and I have kids I have this abusive husband and I 8th and I came to the US with my children but you know if I would have had education or myself cuz I would have had some type of empowerment for myself maybe things would be better in my life maybe things wouldn't be the way that they are in so that was really one pivotal moment for me and this is the picture of of us being in the migrant camps in California this is me and my mom that really changed my perspective I think a lot of it came from home but a lot of it from this interaction interactions that I had but also the suffering of people in these situations the workplace health and safety their well-being so I think a lot of this really contributed you know was a triple stacked into who I am today from there you know during my time in high school I attended Rio Grande City High School I had so much support from all of my migrant education instructor than and faculties would help me out email fill out application after application through them I was able to get the Gates Millennium Scholarship in order to pay for 10 years of my schooling also Doreen I had a dream that time you know I graduated Valerie rid of my class but I was also accepted to the camp program at st. Edward's which is one of the longest-running programs in the United States and I'll I'll let you know how this also has come full circle for me I mean after graduation I decided I wanted to go to grad school then I went and and try to get my Master's in public health and epidemiology and that's when I started to work with Dairy Farm Workers and that was my first my first can of dip into going back into the work that that I had been braced into into seeing you know people who look like me and represented me and and really you know what I would go out there and do some research studies in Outreach I see my parents in the workers I see you know my cousin's my my my feels I see myself in a lot of you know the young ladies like that was just me a couple years ago how can I contribute to this and I think a lot of the skills that I gained from the migrant education programs that I went through right from elementary to Middle School to high school through college got me to the point where I am now I want to show you a little video that was created actually won an award through the American Public Health Association so let me play it your lease Wendy with a thumbs up let me know if if the if this audio place near great first of all I'm the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and migrant Farm Workers was a migrant Farm worker as well we migrated from a small little border town called City in the Rio Grande Valley here in Texas all the way to Bakersfield California every summer to pick grapes or anything in season I mean I see myself I seen my parents in them every time I see you know young girl picking that was me a couple years ago I wake up everyday with the determination of being a champion for my worker health and well-being my name is Annabelle. It is and I'm an assistant professor in the easiest Hartman Harry T Health Houston School of Public Health I also leave the small rural Health Care Systems group as well as the food chain supply the Texas epidemic Public Health Institute in the news today I need a Ted quarter to under UT Health Houston basically we're trying to all come together whether it be Health Department academic institution different community-based organizations different business industry partners and we're trying to fill in the gaps of all the challenges that we saw during covid 2 relief strengthen the Texas economy to strengthen the health and safety of accidents all across taxes Brentwood metropolitan area the rural areas to prepare for the next pandemic tattoo over our team goals is to really develop and the sea read Annabel Lee Wade resource list of these resources were created in collaboration with the University of Texas and fossil to try to educate rural communities about these limited resources and the communities are really filling those gaps where can you go get tested where can you seek treatment for covid we have anything from funeral assistance child care free Wi-Fi food pantries winter clothing translation services and all of these guys that we were able to identify during covid-19 to be filled with us working group involving the community-based organizations is Paramount to anything that we're doing because they know their communities they were there with their communities when covid happened be under and where are you know the pits are they understand where where the community comes together. I think of leveraging their interactions and their trust with a community is the most important Little Bear produce bird and Bee produce is a produce company located in Edinburg Texas which is in the Rio Grande Valley they stored anywhere between play three types of leafy greens so they have the farm operations in the Rio Grande Valley and then they have their sorting and Grading and packing house where you know they employ the majority of their workers I had shipped off and then we see it you know anniversary retailers we started to do education on site for all of their workers we started to do also vaccination clinics not only for their workers but also for their families keep it in mind and then in the Rio Grande Valley the white of what we call finally small which is these multi-generational homes that live in one household and we understand that help doesn't just start at the worker perspective it's at the family level so really doing that family based approach was very successful for us we had some resistance but a lot of this resistance came from a point of fear from workers of a point of unknown right I don't know what's in the vaccine so we took the time to not only trained individual be as a group doing focus groups or will on everyone that I question Believin did a one-to-one and when they want to ones with families to make sure that we were able to meet workers exactly where they are another thing that we have been doing now is not only launching bit but Fe resource list on site but also working with the USDA and the national Center for former how to give a B-1 time relief payments social workers and their families it makes a really big difference and I can I can tell you just from experience of launching the I'm going out there to train the team I probably did anywhere near 200-300 applications by myself in that week and one of the stories that really captivated me and committee captive it is not the correct word just hit home to me of the reason that we woke up to do that work that day this lady had just lost her daughter twenty-four-year-old to cancer couldn't get her to the Houston on time this was 6 weeks prior doing her application and she said I finally have enough money to get her headstone I'm in things like this that I think are really important to me especially that we are helping those who feed us every day the lack of health insurance Transportation language challenges childcare long working hours fear of deportation agencies all of those where that we had every single day and you carry those traumas with you and and you carry that weight on your back every single day and I know how it feels forehand and this is why I'm so passionate about trying to remove these barriers one at a time from these families because it's it's necessary and I think it's a win-win for everyone that all our citizens and taxes are are healthy and you know they're prepared for whatever is to come that is just a little bit of what I do at work but I wanted to show you again just how Full Circle that is and how we've been able to bring some of these Services out to families and not just in Texas but also New Mexico Arkansas Louisiana our entire Public Health Region and a lot of it has been done kindness and and really through being able to meet like I said workers were they are and as well as their families you should be able to see the rest of the pictures good and so you know what this overarching theme I think of kindness in in a world that sometimes seems like is on fire that is compared if that hasn't it you know it's Lowe's and its highs I think this is where y'all came in in my life to be able to really inspire me. push on and I'll always have someone who believe in me you know and I keep thinking back to my time and in the valley and in high school how I had all of these counselors in the my graduation program trying to you know get me to apply to the next scholarship or let sit down and work on this essay all of those hours that they put in have led me to where I am today so I think of you ever have that day you know where it's a frustrating day oh my gosh am I getting anywhere look at what all of those hours of attention and and just someone believing in me got me to where I am now I can help out families you know with their health care access and as we know if you have a better health and and that our well-being and resilience to your able to be there for your family if you're able to be there for your children you know a lot of these things a lot of these images that you saw in there have been really the work of of 10 years that have come together and working back with also migrant education programs again we have community health workers go back into the community in and work with these communities and we go out to to the different Farms to really try to spread this education but we do it with kindness right the same kindness that was given to throw out that the education program I'm in Vince training the future all of these are students that also came from a very similar background and are now doing work and I work you know an endive health and safety were before used to be a very predominant Lee white male occupation now I'm seeing a lot of Latinos and nothing has being able to serve their own communities and and again having materials that are culturally appropriate that are literacy appropriate their linguistic we are red and working like here with with workers that speak feature that are from what them online and feel alone or socially isolated were able to meet them where they are hard and then be able to give them those reefs has needed all of these events that we hosted The Pool Guys training these Community coordinator is that you see here and in green right to be respectful towards people you never know what type of might be having at what time they have to wake up to be where they are and then to come to us for or services are for some of the resources and so a lot of it is the same theme, lean forward and it stings like this right where we were able vaccines to those who otherwise would not have access to them or are things that really motivate me to keep doing this work every single day and introduced to kind of back into into full circle this right here is an image of myself in a couple of my Camp alumni from Saint Edwards we go back every single year and volunteer for graduation in India Caravan so that we are visible among our peers so that those that are coming right after us know that there is a support out there know that you know if you feel that imposter syndrome that's normal we're feeling but there are ways to push forward and to have that mentorship up in the next month so we're not again a lot of our peers are not forgetting about those who are coming that will be the future of this country I also you know Sit On The Board of Trustees for st. Edwards University I was the first camp alumna that was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees and so by having this type of representation it it means a lot to me that I'm able to advocate for the camp student said I'm able to advocate for the camp program to have funding at the state you know has it been in the past and to be able to host you know the the the number of slots that we have each year having it grow and having to be sustainable so this is something that I'm really proud of it has been the biggest really I got my life with you no Luci Baines Johnson on this board and and being in the same room with her right arm has been has been really inspirational consider another work that her that her father did and you know I think my life is is a little bit different now I think you do compared to the life that my parents lived and and their sacrifices of what I Lawrence from them has helped me build a heart that is generous that is giving and you know my husband and I weren't able to sign our first endowment scholarship for camp that's a network so now we are getting back in a different you know level of you know not only giving our talent and our time but also giving our treasure back and focusing on those who came before us we don't have children but one of them has children that are coming right like I said always paying it forward to those who who who need the help and and so things like this it's really are an absolute privilege for me to come back to enter advocate for for the migrant education program at all levels whether it be right in the classroom with the students to those who are helping the student or you know at The Advocates level of funding that is something that is near and dear to my heart and so again I think it'll be done with kindness this is what helped me get to where I am this is really the full circle of my life that I'm able to come back to this moment and be able to to tell you my story of of how it started and and and where you know I'm going I think this is not absolutely the end I you know myself and my husband do you want to start a nonprofit that has funds for emergency funds or agworkers so this is something that that is really important to us that we really want to push it so I read this I don't know if it's an obsession but I I love what I do I need with kindness and empathy and I think that the work that y'all have done for the children in your school district as well as your pair is this truly important and for that I thank you and thank you for listening today wow you very much dr. Rodriguez those are such inspiring words the group that you that is here today with us is full of Educators and style and people that really just want the best for the migratory students we're very motivated but you have added to that motivation for us today you have truly inspired we truly appreciate you sharing your story with us on behalf of the Texas migrant education program and I'll be half of the text vacation agency migratory program we we really do appreciate you we feel so honored to have been here to listen to your story today thank you thank you so much really again just a true privilege to be here and to do the work that I do it's something that I just feel I wake up everyday extremely happy to do the work that I do and the bad again would not be if I didn't have those Educators throughout my life those migrant education programs the pack meetings and my parents went to the food pantries the education Supply you know drives all of that was pivotal and who I am today and I will never forget that and I will always pay for it thank you thank you so much I'd like to encourage everyone if you cover on the screen towards the bottom you have the reactions button and please give us some real since from there if you can to show your appreciation for dr. Rodriguez thank you very much want to go go ahead and just give thank you to everyone we also see a lot of thank yous I hope you're able to read the thank yous and appreciation that you see in the chat. Spittle 3 is when you think everyone we had 250 to in our tmip conference this year thank you very much for your participation and you participated in 18 concurrent sessions to opening and closing sessions we had one of each of those professions and then in addition not only did we have texts represented here in this conference we also had 13 other states represented here we truly do appreciate you and we hope that as well you mentioned earlier this adds to your formula to success for our migratory students thank you all very much when headed over to DD see if she has anything else to add no just kind of echo on what you said evalue thank you this doing a great conference I've really learned a lot we had a we had an array of different presenters which was amazing and dr. Rodriguez I want to do special thank you your your message was heart heart heart nice to me but to let you know I'm a Stark County girl just like you so I did enjoy that so I just wanted to thank you thank everybody who participated a special thank you to Region 20 Wendy and Gonzalez for putting this together and Lily I mean we've been working with this with him for months now and I do appreciate everybody that was in attendance especially anybody that pretty the painted that is not with an ESC or school district for all those that the that the presentations were out-of-state Partners I think that's the most out of state presentation that we have representation we've had and I want to say thank you but I think that's all I've got to say knows you want to do this little bit of a closing to everybody I mean how do you talk listen to me say thank you so much for sharing your story and I really can't think of a better way to to drop off something to get all of us where we are and in and you're paying the four of the referral for a lot of kids that are coming up in that and I hope you know that I just thank you to Regal 22 all day today all the regions to the district and to our neighbors to our partner states that thank you for being here the other thing is we are you know we haven't spoken to you so we kind of have to revamp this this whole new thing. just something to keep in mind is that weed we do want to make this very responsive to your needs so I know there's going to be a service that is going to go after these please complete it and I know you're at home I got one more survey how many servings are in a foot we will evaluate your information we that's how we know what works and what can be improved so you do you know those migrants we were always on when I continuous Improvement cycle so thank you so much everybody at IU amazing simply amazing and thank you for a while he's here and I'll shut up now because I don't want to take any more time today thank you for all the participants. thank you for all that you do for the migratory students and we also want to thank the facilitators that made this seems so so seamless as we were going through the different sessions I'm going to go ahead and hand it over to to win thank you Delia will actually thank you to all of tea and yes a shout-out to Lily Hernandez and Karina Gonzalez and Jacob Ortega who helped facilitate sessions and a few announcements before we call it quits here has kind of touched on it yes remember all sessions were recorded and we will as soon as we can make those available to you on our website along with any conference handouts that are shared with us and then at the conclusion even of this session you will see one of those individual conference evaluations or the session evaluations we ask that you complete that and give us your feet fact about the closing General Session and then let me share this with you this is our overall conference evaluation let me move the little bar up out of your way I'm in if Karina Jacob where Lily will put that link in the chat box that would be helpful but you can scan the QR code and that will be for the overall conference evaluation or you can just click on the link and go there and that will when you fill it out and finish it and you hit submit you will be given a link that you can go to to download a certificate for the conference and I'm just going to leave that up there for a couple of minutes for y'all other than that I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for the feedback that we've already received were already in planning stages for next year's conference a huge thank you to dr. Rodriguez coming and sharing her story that just was so inspiring always and you're right and I just love the message kindness and especially since it's Valentine's Day so thank you all so very much and that concludes our conference

Video Gallery

TMIP's MSI2C2 The Formula to Success! Closing General Session

Popular Videos