Explorando Tu Futuro: Empowering Southwest Detroit’s Next Generation

On Thursday, October 24, the second annual “Explorando Tu Futuro” college fair took place at El Kiosko, a community event hall in Southwest Detroit, bringing together four major Michigan universities. The event provided higher education opportunities to Spanish-speaking families and featured representatives Greg Garcia from Wayne State University, Daniela Guzman from the University of Michigan, Nancy Cobos from Michigan State University, and Leslie Samano from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Daniela Guzman, who initiated the event and is native to Southwest Detroit, emphasized the goal of making higher education more accessible. “Just after brainstorming, I decided to kind of make it like a community-centered event where students were just not only learning about the University of Michigan but had the opportunity to explore…So it is just an event, that seeks to make the universities more accessible.”

Greg Garcia from Wayne State University highlighted the initiative’s focus on underserved Latino students, many of whom are first-generation collegegoers. Garcia explained, “[We are] just trying to get together, close peers and colleagues and come together…and bring admissions and higher education to them and meet them where they are at.”

Leslie Samano and Nancy Cobos, both Southwest Detroit natives, emphasized the importance of the event being accessible to the local community. Samano, who attended Cesar Chavez High School, reflected, “I think this initiative hits home for me…I put myself in the shoes of the current students.”

Parents and students expressed appreciation for the bilingual nature of the event. Maria Barajas, attending with her daughter Joselyn, noted, “Necessary! Because it is my language and for me, it is much better.” Joselyn, inspired by her family’s sacrifices and aiming for a career in either astrophysics or nursing, said, “I feel like it is very important because then, they will be more comfortable, or understand when I am talking to them.”

Silvia Barba, another parent, supported her daughter Jezmy Calderon’s aspirations of attending Wayne State University. Barba appreciated receiving information in Spanish, which made it easier to understand. Jezmy, who wants to study business and fashion, and her sister Hilary Calderon, who aspires to be a lawyer, found the fair valuable for exploring opportunities.

The event provided critical information through various presentations. There was an admissions presentation, a detailed financial aid presentation, and a student panel that shared personal experiences. Garcia elaborated, “Our primary scholarship that we offer, is called the Heart of Detroit, that if they earn their high school diploma [from a Detroit public school], they will have zero out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and fees.”

Cobos added, “We tell students, that there are scholarships available for them, it can still be accessible”.

Adding to the community atmosphere, Caffeine Driven, a pop-up Latino business run by Stephanie Segura, offered refreshments that included pumpkin spice coffee and Mexican sweet bread. Segura, a first-generation college student and Michigan State alum, emphasized the importance of furthering education. “I am very passionate about people furthering their education and believing in themselves,” she said.

Organizers plan to make “Explorando Tu Futuro” an annual event, aiming to expand its reach every year. Nancy Cobos stated, “We hope it gets better every year. So that is the goal to reach as many people as we possibly can.”

Though the event has already taken place, families and students can still reach out to the admissions representatives for further information and support. Each university is committed to assisting students to navigate their higher education journey.

Contact Information:

• Greg Garcia, Wayne State University
  • Email: garciag@wayne.edu
  • Phone: (313) 577-4906
• Daniela Guzman, University of Michigan
  • Email: guzmand@umich.edu
  • Phone: (313) 593-4777
• Nancy Cobos, Michigan State University
  • Email: cobosnan@msu.edu
  • Phone: (517) 884-9705
• Leslie Samano, University of Detroit Mercy
  • Email: samanolm@udmercy.edu
  • Phone: (313) 993-1433

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 Juan Ochoa is the Spanish Communication Representative for Michigan News. He has several years of communication experience working for WXYZ-TV, UNESCO, World Radio Paris, The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, Southwest Detroit Community Justice Center and Lawrence Technological University. His goal is to inform the World through important news topics and research breakthroughs. Juan enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and exploring nature.

This story was made possible by the Race and Justice Reporting Initiative which aims to build trust between the news media and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and strengthen representative democracy. Funding for the initiative has been provided by a generous grant from Press Forward.