How a trip to Mexico taught San Gabriel students about cultural awareness

Fourteen high school students from Options For Youth (OFY), a public charter school in San Gabriel, went on a seven-day cultural immersion trip to Mexico in February this year as part of OFY’s Experiential Learning Programming series. The trip, which emphasized leadership development, cross-cultural economic trade and business, and community building, was made possible through partnerships with Pathways Travels and Centro Fox, a non-profit started by former Mexican President, Vincente Fox.

The OFY Experiential Learning Program series provides its students with the opportunity to go on all-inclusive, multi-day trips to domestic and international locations, such as Washington DC, Cuba, Italy and China – with its destinations varying year to year, at no cost to students and their families. These trips, chaperoned by OFY teachers and staff, broaden students’ perspectives and help to foster the important values of civic engagement and cultural appreciation.

Given that the trip was free and space limited, the Mexico trip participants went through a competitive application process that required them to submit an essay describing their interest in the program. Students with the most compelling essays were awarded a subsequent interview before final selection and notification.

The selected group and their chaperones departed on Feb. 21. After checking into their hotel accommodations in León, Guanajuato, participants received a welcome tour from Centro Fox, a non-profit organization that aims to train “compassionate leaders through social values to create a better world.” As a part of the Centro Fox President-For-A-Day program, students visited a replica of the presidential office and took part in reflective activities, like being “sworn into office” and choosing their cabinet, to better understand the value of cross-cultural leadership and how Mexico and the U.S. work together as bordering nations.

The following day, participants engaged in a community service project in which they were transported to a local primary school in León where they painted children’s games and planted flowers to create a more colorful, energizing playground area for young students. During the remainder of the trip, students went on guided tours of the Mummy Museum in Guanajuato, and the stunning Xochimilco canals and pyramids in Mexico City.

In addition to receiving high school credit for their trip, college-bound participants are also able to earn one elective credit at UC San Diego through Pathways Travels’ partnership with the university.

David Regalado, 15, initially felt nervous about traveling outside the United States but returned back feeling grateful for such a special experience, saying, “I was glad I went on this trip because I learned a lot, and I saw a lot of cool stuff over there. I was also glad I got to experience being in another country and meet some nice people that lived in the community that we stayed at.”

Timothy Reyes, a Post-Secondary Counselor at OFY, who served as a chaperone on the trip, expressed his enthusiasm for the unique learning and growth opportunities that the experiential learning program provides to his students, saying, “I love that Options For Youth offers Pathways trips to our students. Our trip included students who were first-time flyers with this being their first time out of the country and away from home. Students are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore different parts of the world and experience different cultures at no cost. It brought me joy seeing our students trying the delicious local cuisine and learning more about the culture in Mexico.”

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