Written by: Lupe Cadeza, Caminos al Futuro 2026
Leaving home and traveling across the country by yourself will always be nerve-wracking, especially as someone who is family-oriented. When I arrived in DC, to my surprise, I had an entire team of Cisneros Institute staff members welcoming me, excited for my arrival. However, my classmates were the ones I was most intimidated to meet.
During our first meal together, I was filled with anxiety, as if it were my first day of high school again. Slowly, with every meal and every conversation in our dorms, I started to become more comfortable, and the anxiety began to dissipate. With every journey into DC, I started feeling more connected to my peers.
One of my favorite excursions was our trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Trey Johnston, one of the Cisneros Institute’s directors, provided additional context on everything we were seeing. Though I was familiar with some of the history — the transatlantic slave trade, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement — from my high school classes, the narrative structure of the museum gave me a more complete picture of how these different periods fit together, and allowed me to understand how systems of oppression have persisted and evolved over time.
When we returned to the classroom, we discussed the stories and historical moments that we previously didn’t know about, and we dissected the intersections between African American culture and Latinidad. As we shared ideas, I was especially grateful to be part of such a curious and analytical cohort.
Throughout the past three weeks, we’ve continued to have many great conversations about topics such as identity, law, public policy, poetry, and storytelling. With every conversation, my admiration for my peers and excitement about college has continued to increase. Though Caminos al Futuro is quickly coming to a close, my time on GW’s campus has been transformative, providing both a strong sense of community and intellectual enrichment.
Lupe Cadeza is a 2026 Caminos al Futuro Scholar. Lupe’s views are her own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.