Written by: Cristopher Melendez, Caminos al Futuro 2023
Hello, my name is Cristopher Melendez. Today is Friday, July 7th, and I will be commenting about my experience at Caminos Al Futuro in today's photography session and the dinner after. It started off with Johanna Cajina, Cisneros’ Communication Manager, and her lesson on the basics of photography.
It was a completely new experience for me, specifically on the part of the complexities of actual art and photography. Before, I had only taken a few pictures at football games for my friends, but never for art. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to look at the intricacies involved with photography and the best way to make your images have true meaning. The best part of the day was being able to go around Washington D.C., a historically charged place in the United States, and capture beautiful images.
There are a lot of powerful sightings around every corner in this beautiful city, and it was amazing to capture with the new styles of photography that were taught to me. My favorite image that I took by far was of a man in a suit. He was wearing formal attire while riding a bicycle. The juxtaposition in the image stuck out to me, making me reflect on its deeper meaning. When our entire Caminos cohort wrapped up, we were proud of our images.
After, we decided to go together for dinner at a place called Tonic. When we saw that there was a G-World special, we could not pass up on the offer! Not only was the food amazing, but the new information that I learned about my fellow scholars was enlightening. I'm so happy to be a part of a program where I feel at home and hear new perspectives from my intelligent peers. I've never found a community that has similar goals but who also look like me. The bond and connection between me and my peers are so strong that we had conversations for hours. The formative experience that the Caminos Al Futuro program has provided me is one that will last forever. Today was just a small reflection of the grand opportunity and experience that I have had in this program.
Cristopher Melendez is a Caminos al Futuro 2023 scholar. Cristopher’s views are his own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.