Written by: Marc Lyles-Rosario, Caminos al Futuro 2026
“Young people are the future of the United States” – Congressman Gilbert Cisneros, Jr., co-founder of the Cisneros Institute.
During the Caminos al Futuro program, my cohort and I had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Capitol. On the Hill, we learned about the history of the Capitol, the intricacies surrounding Congress, and, most importantly, we had the amazing opportunity to interview and speak with Congressman Cisneros.
During our conversation with Congressman Cisneros, we learned about his background, his rise to Congress, and his reason for choosing to fund higher education initiatives, such as the Cisneros Institute, after winning the lottery in 2010. For Congressman Cisneros, attending college — specifically GW, where he graduated with a BA in Political Science — was a transformative experience, crucial to his understanding of the world and development as a person. He was only able to attend thanks to an ROTC scholarship.
By creating the Cisneros Institute, with its fully-funded pre-college program, which I am currently a part of, and its 4-year scholarship program for undergraduate students, Congressman Cisneros wanted to make the dream of a college education accessible to underserved youth. Prior to founding the Institute alongside his wife Jacki Cisneros in 2015, Congressman Cisneros pursued a Master’s degree in Urban Education Policy at Brown University. His capstone project, a research-based programming and mentorship model to address the needs of underserved communities, would eventually become the Cisneros Institute at The George Washington University.
Representative Cisneros wants to help students succeed in college and after graduation, and he also wants them to see that their voices matter. This is a message that stuck with me from our conversation. He emphasized that even though we are young, our voices are important, and we do not have to wait until we are older to have an impact in politics. Hearing this from someone like Representative Cisneros was especially powerful to me as someone whose voice has often been disregarded, who has been told that because of my age “I don’t know anything.” As I enter the final week of the Caminos program, and as I prepare for my final year of high school, I feel inspired to continue advocating for my community and hopeful for the future.
Marc Lyles-Rosario is a 2026 Caminos al Futuro Scholar. Marc’s views are his own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.