Sisters and classmates Dolores and Vanessa Wiarco have always been intrigued by images of the colorful culture, rich history and political mystery often associated with Cuba. Neither thought they would get a chance to discover first-hand the Communist country that few Americans today have ever seen or experienced.

Nearly a year after returning from Cuba, the sisters have a broader knowledge and new respect for its people gained during a two-week visit as part of Cal Poly Pomona's Cuba Study Program.

“I can't talk about my education at Cal Poly Pomona without talking about a trip to Cuba," says Vanessa Wiarco, a 2002 political science alumna. "It was intense, not just the work we did but the country itself. The political system is nothing you can experience here."

Cuba is an island nation that sits just 90 miles off the Florida coast, yet has remained a mystery to Americans for more than four decades. Because of different political and economic ideals, a wall of ignorance has blocked the exchange of ideas between the two countries and limited overseas travel.

In an attempt to eliminate some of these barriers, in 1999 Cal Poly Pomona became the first campus in The California State University to establish a program with Cuba. Cuban scholars came to the university to lecture on topics such as Cuban history, United States-Cuba relations and the meaning of Cuban artistic expressions.

In summer 2000, under the leadership of political science professor Jose Vadi, the first group of Cal Poly Pomona students made a government-licensed, two-week visit to Cuba. In addition to daily lectures from historians and professors, the group visited different cultural and historic sites, including the Bay of Pigs, known to Cubans as the site of the first victory of imperialism against the United States. The group was also there when the country welcomed home Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy who rescued by U.S. officials after a refugee boat sank. That case brought international attention to U.S.-Cuban relations.

"The Cuba Program has provided more than 70 students and 10 faculty an opportunity to participate in learning about a culture and way of life most Americans will never have the opportunity to experience," says Barbara Way, dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences. "International experiences are a key component of our students' education, and travel and study in Cuba is not available to the vast majority of American university students."

During the past three years, the program has grown to become the International Center's second largest exchange program. This summer, the program is planning another student visit to Cuba, with about 35 students from both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Fullerton expected to participate.

"It was a life changing experience for us," says Dolores Wiarco, a senior international business major. "We came back totally different. We saw the living conditions of many people there and we realized how wealthy our nation is. Now we appreciate everything we have."

Students aren't the only ones who benefit from the trip, says Vadi.

"I've been teaching for a long time, year after year, the same class over and over again," says Vadi. "But watching how these students grow when they go to Cuba took me back 20 years. This whole experience has increased my enthusiasm to teach."