Alice Robinson, a second-year student at San Diego City College majoring in Black Studies, traveled to Ghana with a group of students in 2024.
“My overall experience in Ghana was wonderful,” Robinson said. “I got to see culture, experience the food and learn history that was never fully taught in my textbooks.”
Being able to travel to Ghana, with all program expenses paid, Robinson felt was life-changing.
City students who apply to this program will have the opportunity to explore more than African history. They will be able to experience a new way of life and be present in a different community than their own.
What impacted Robinson was how this trip helped her reconnect with her identity and culture.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Robinson said she learned very little about African and Black history. It wasn’t until she moved to California, where she attended City College and joined a program called Umoja.
Umoja is a learning community that assists students in continuing their education while teaching students about African American culture, experience and curriculum.
Through this program, Robinson was able to learn more African and Black centered material in her classes.
For her, the trip to Ghana showed her that learning in a classroom setting wouldn’t be enough, being able to visit historical sites helped her see, feel and understand more.
“You can’t learn this from a book, You have to be there,” Robinson said.
An unforgettable memory for Robinson was when she visited the slave dungeons along the Atlantic coast.
“It changed my way of thinking,” she said. “You read about slavery, but being there, seeing it, feeling it, was something completely different.”
Robinson encourages students to apply for the Ghana trip, as she believes the experience will leave students with more knowledge about history but also themselves.
Umoja announced that City students can now apply to attend The All African Diaspora Education Summit ADES 2026.
To qualify for this program students must be enrolled in at least 12 units during the Fall semester of 2026. The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
“If you want the undeniable truth, go,” Robinson said. “Seeing it with your own eyes will reboot your whole system. I’m a witness now. That’s something no one can take from me.”
This story was edited by David J. Bohnet, Itzel Martinez and Chrisdan Peralta.
