Celebrating a Decade of the Cisneros Institute

Last week, the Cisneros Institute kicked off its 10-year anniversary celebrations with three consecutive days of programming, including receptions, a fireside chat with the Institute's founders, an open house, and honors to recognize members of the Institute community.    

On Thursday, October 23, scholars, alumni, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners from across the country gathered in the Jack Morton Auditorium to celebrate the growth and impact of the Cisneros Institute over the past decade. Dr. Paul Wahlbeck, Dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and long-time supporter of the Cisneros Institute, delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the Institute’s important contributions to GW.  

He praised Gil and Jacki Cisneros’s original vision of helping students not only make it through college, but also “thrive academically, personally, and professionally, even after they graduate.”  He also praised the significant expansion of the Cisneros Institute over the past decade, under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Vaquera.  

“The Cisneros Institute has exceeded this [original] vision and gone on to expand its impact, elevating our faculty and their scholarship, producing top research while building opportunities for junior faculty and students, and helping the college and GW live up to its goal of being a welcoming space for everyone,” Wahlbeck said.

The Institute shared a video reflecting on a decade of student success, which includes over $12 million in funding distributed to students and supporting more than 1,000 participants in its programs from the pre-college to executive levels: 

Dr. Elizabeth Vaquera then joined the Honorable Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. and Jacki Cisneros, the Institute's founders for a Fireside Chat to reflect on the origins of the Cisneros Institute. 

Prior to founding the Cisneros Institute, Gil and Jacki Cisneros had provided scholarships to two promising young students and unfortunately, neither of them graduated. One student failed to find community on campus and moved back home; the other was unable to develop the systems required for academic success. 

“This instilled in me the idea of offering students a structure to follow as well as a home away from home where they could support one another,” Rep. Cisneros said. 

This idea, which he further developed and refined during his master’s thesis in urban education policy at Brown University, would become the blueprint for the Cisneros Institute. 

During the conversation, Gil and Jacki addressed a recent Gallup poll reporting that fewer people in the United States are seeing college as a worthwhile investment. Jacki urged students to not be disillusioned by the changing sentiments toward higher education, saying, “I was brought up thinking and knowing that education is the only way you will move yourself forward. You, your family, your community, and I still firmly believe that.” 

She also highlighted the crucial role that the Latino community will play in shaping the future of the United States. 

“The Latino community is the largest growing population in America. It’s a fact. If we [the United States] are going to become a powerhouse again, we need us,” she said, encouraging students to continue learning and preparing to be the leaders of tomorrow.  

Their conversation concluded with another video, which highlighted the aspects of the Cisneros Institute's work that go beyond supporting GW students, such as its nationally-funded research portfolio and the leadership development programs it creates for national nonprofit partners, such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders.