From April 10-14, five San Miguel juniors accompanied by College Counselors Ms. Karan Stewart and Mr. Ricardo Dominguez, traveled from Tucson to the east coast to explore out-of-state universities. The trip's itinerary included sightseeing opportunities in New York City and Washington D.C. in addition to campus visits at Manhattan College, Saint Peter's University, Villanova University, La Salle University, Georgetown University, and Catholic University.
All five juniors belong to a group called Descubre, the goal of which is to encourage high achieving juniors to explore and consider out-of-state universities. Members were selected as the result of an application process that included obtaining reference letters from teachers and writing an application essay.
The trip began with an auspicious coincidence, as the San Miguel group found themselves on the same flight as Bishop Kincanas (pictured bottom left).
Although students were far from home, they encountered familiar faces throughout their trip. In NYC, Mireya Iglesias (SMHS Class of 2015), met up with the group near Times Square. In Philadelphia, the group met with Rachael Bailey (SMHS Class of 2015) for a classic cheesesteak lunch. Rachael is currently pursuing her master's at La Salle University. Then, at Georgetown, the group caught up with current Georgetown students, Tyhveen Robles (SMHS Class of 2021) and Emilio Cazares Borbon (SMHS Class of 2022).
Visiting colleges, connecting with San Miguel alumni, and exploring the areas surrounding different campuses helps students to envision possible futures for themselves and their education.
"This trip and Descubre helped me prepare for my future plans because I was able to see which colleges felt like home and which ones could fit me personally," said Diana Thomas-Gonzalez, current San Miguel junior and Descubre member.
Additionally, traveling so far from Tucson opens up the students to environments and cultures that might be outside of their comfort zones.
"I didn’t realize how different the east coast would be from the southwest. In a way you have to have an open mind and adapt to your environment very quickly or else you won’t have fun if you live there or visit the east coast. It enriched my thinking of where I truly would want to be in the future or what type of environment I would like to be in," said Mia Bartolini, current San Miguel junior and Descubre member.
Both Mia and Diana, as rising seniors, have begun to think in more detail about their interests and plans. Mia's future aspirations include entering the medical field.
"I have always been interested in becoming a doctor because my grandpa was a military doctor in Mexico and he would always tell me stories about his experiences and bring me books to read about medicine. From there on, I just loved it and stuck with it. I also really like helping people and want to do anything I can to help those people in need," said Mia. | 
