In Cuba, eight Americans have become the first class of U.S. graduates from Havana’s Latin American School of Medicine. The students are among 2,100 people from 25 countries in the tuition-free, six-year program. All eight say they plan to practice medicine with underprivileged communities in the United States.

Graduating student Carmen Landau: “We should take advantage of our position coming from this medical background to try to promote more the possibility of creating a universal healthcare system, a single care system in the U.S. I know that California is potentially looking towards that. It’s a wonderful idea.”

More than 100 Americans will be enrolled in Cuba’s medical school this fall. The students are allowed to study there under an exception to the U.S. embargo.