Written by: Abel Salas, Caminos al Futuro 2019
Hey! My name is Abel Salas and I’m one of the 15 lucky individuals who got into the Caminos al Futuro program. After getting into the program, my dad was almost as excited as I was. He informed my entire family about my admission into the program. As the date of departure arrived, I began to realize how unprepared I was.
Scrambling to pack last second and also watching the live Q&A session the day of departure was not the greatest decision, but I would later come to the reality that it was all worth it. The live Q&A allowed me to see that some of the other rising seniors that were admitted into the program had similar interests as me, such as Quest Bars. After this, I felt more confident and excited about the program, and I could not wait to meet the other 14 individuals that also got into the program.
The first few days in the Caminos program were the most difficult — getting up at 6:30, finding time to practice soccer for my high school season, and missing home were the most challenging things for me. I often felt stressed about being able to manage my time and balancing several activities. However, being able to almost instantly understand and connect with my roommates, as well as the others who were accepted into the program, felt like a huge relief of my slight social anxiety I had before arriving on campus. As soon as I entered the lounge in which the other “Caminoers” were socializing, I was greeted with several smiling, laughing faces. I had never felt so immediately accepted — it felt as if I had known these people for a much longer time than just a few minutes.
In our classes with Dr. Vaquera and Mr. Trey, we have been learning about Latinx communities in the United States and how they are growing and how they impact things such as poverty rates and education rates. We are also preparing for college by practicing drafting and writing pieces such as college essay introductions.
Throughout the first week, being able to further connect and interact with the others ensured that my time in DC would be unforgettable. Being able to spend most of my day with them, always sticking together, and running through the city in the pouring rain to get to the VEX stop allowed me to realize that we were truly a familia. No one was ever left behind, and we shared all of our moments as one 15 person group. A prime example of this was the day we went to visit the National Zoo. On the morning of the excursion, we had some trouble convincing the residential advisors to let all 15 of us go to the zoo. Thankfully, we were able to work something out. No one would be left behind. After visiting the zoo and eating dinner at a Thai restaurant, we took the Metro to the Foggy Bottom station and were met by a thunderstorm. After deciding to try to make the 6:45 VEX, we ran out of the Metro and through DC in the pouring rain. Although we got soaked and were freezing, it was one of the most fun experiences that I had on the trip.
Running through the rain and laughing together gave me a sense of family and friendship that I found unique with my Latino and Latina friends. I believe that in my nine remaining days in DC, I’ll make more and more unforgettable memories that I’ll be able to look back on and be proud of for many years.
Abel Salas is a Caminos al Futuro 2019 scholar. Abel’s views are his own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.