No barriers for Clemen Marcum

In her mind’s eye, Clemen Marcum travels back to a small South American city that is dotted with volcanoes and mountains and is famous for its colorful, bustling marketplace.

Marcum’s memory is peppered with thoughts of her hometown of Otavalo, Ecuador, and she uses those reflections to fuel her service to children and families who, like her, have come from afar and found themselves in Nash County.

Marcum, the migrant program coordinator for Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools, advocates for the school district’s migrant students and their families, keeps parents up to date on their children’s academic progress and develops community partnerships to ensure the children — some of whom stay in the area only for months — receive the services and representation they need to succeed.

She fits naturally into the community and in her position as if she has always been here, yet Marcum’s motivation to help migrant students and workers comes from both the wonder and bewilderment that she, too, felt when she found herself in a new land — facing new people, a new language and a new life.

Ese tesoro escondido: ‘Hidden treasure’

With a quick, purposeful bounce in her step, Marcum walks the halls of the school district’s central office in Nashville. She is greeted with grins, waves, and even a “Hey, little lady!” from coworkers.

The migrant students she works with look at her with equal enthusiasm. They follow her with their bright eyes as she walks around their classroom or at one of their community activities, speaking to them in staccato Spanish.

In a way, she is their saving grace, someone who knows what they are going through. Indeed, she serves the students with a deep understanding of what they’re experiencing, where they’ve been and the possibilities for their futures. Many of the students are in Nash County only temporarily while their parents help with harvests at local farms.

On a daily basis, Marcum visits schools to reassure collaboration between schools and the migrant program, holds dialogues with local agencies to secure services for migrant families, attends meetings with teachers to assess the academic performance of migrant students and interprets during parent-teacher conferences.

“I really make sure the parents are constantly in touch with the school,” she says. “Their work hours are different, it’s hard for them to get away from work, and they’re intimidated by the language barrier.”

Marcum helps soften the blows of change for young students who, while they may be used to moving from school to school, still experience the fear and uncertainty of a strange place. She has seen the shyest of students, through encouragement and reassurance, open up and succeed.

“My favorite part is the process of discovering each child’s hidden treasure,” she says. “Children are unique, and so are their needs, accomplishments, struggles, successes and challenges.”

Marcum anticipates those challenges and works to help ease the burdens on families as much as possible.

“Mobility is one of the biggest concerns,” Marcum says. “Migrant families move continuously, from county to county, state to state and quite often from country to country. The migratory lifestyle doesn’t allow children to develop a sense of belonging or stability.”

Activities and events such as festivals; field trips; College Day; Qinceañeras and the Action, Inspiration and Motivation Club for middle- and high school-age students help bridge the gaps by helping the students realize that there is a place in a new community for their culture and traditions.

“She works really well with the kids,” says Marcum’s sister, Tanya Daza, of Rocky Mount. “If she has to dance or do something to get their attention, she does it.”

Another challenge Marcum deals with among migrant students is their desire to pursue educación superior — higher education.

“Unfortunately, bright minds graduate each year without being able to plan for the future,” Marcum says. “Our immigration law currently has no mechanism to consider the special equities and circumstances of such students. Therefore, dropout rates of Hispanic students are climbing.”