Written by: Derek Campa, Caminos al Futuro 2024
In most cases, starting is the most difficult part of completing a task. Starting my Community Action Project (CAP) has been quite the challenge. When brainstorming potential ideas for my CAP, I remembered a documentary by Nogales High School alumni on humanitarian aid at the southern Arizona border. While revisiting this documentary, the first thing that came to mind was creating a project to benefit my community and to help as many people as possible to achieve their dreams and aspirations within the border.
Although my CAP was my main focus of the day, I left some room to think about breakfast as soon as I woke up. I got up very early to go to Shenkman Hall, eager to enjoy some sweet potato tater tots (the best breakfast item at Shenkman). After having a delicious breakfast, I went to the public presentation class taught by the great Cisneros Associate Director, Trey Johnston. I had the opportunity to present my project in front of the class. It was a very difficult experience but at the end, I had a different perspective on my project.
After our first class of the day, we went to the GW Science and Engineering building in Foggy Bottom to visit the botanical garden. The whole tour was fascinating, ranging from exotic plants to microscopic organisms to “Doc” the turtle. This was an amazing opportunity to connect with nature and to see the Washington, DC skyline. Absolutely spectacular!
After the botanical garden tour, I was feeling hungry and went to Shenkman Hall. After lunch, I worked hard on my CAP for two hours. After finishing with some of my slides, Lee Dawson, Senior Assistant Director of GW Undergraduate Admissions, gave the entire group an informative presentation about financial aid.
Without a doubt, my experience in Caminos al Futuro has been transformative in setting the foundation for my future academic and professional pursuits. I feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity to grow and learn from others here at GW!
Derek Campa is a 2024 Caminos al Future Scholar. Derek’s views are his own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.