In early 2015 through 2017, after Obama announced improved relations with Cuba, I took two trips to Havana. I had no idea what to expect, other than what I learned from history books and headlines — Cuba was forbidden land during my lifetime.

What I discovered was a highly-educated, artistic and talented youth who are eager to learn and progress, anxious to see the world and are driven by the hope that their hard work will come to fruition. I also observed a nation being strangled by their government (and partly by ours) with a failing economy, capped salaries, a lack of civil liberties and the inability (legally, financially and emotionally) to leave. While I witnessed children declare their loyalty to Fidel Castro’s legacy, young adults confirmed that public dissent is never an option in Cuba.

To those I got to know (and those I didn’t) — I think of you often and wish you a brighter future.