It’s hard for me to believe that it has been ten years since
I participated in this immersion program in Mexico. It was my senior year of college, and we spent ten days after
Christmas volunteering in villages and at orphanages in areas of Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico. We painted, sang and
played with the children, listened to local politicians and businessmen explain their struggles and accomplishments in
trying to build a better life for future generations. Our group worked with Los Ninos, a community development organization based in Chula Vista,
CA that collaborates with these Mexican communities to improve their quality of life. It was an amazing service
opportunity, opening my eyes to the incredible stories of these people and their close-knit communities. The tour we
took of the US/Mexican border was a particularly moving moment, as was every second spent with the children. It was an
incredible learning experience too, one that I think back to often. I had hoped to make a "reunion" visit
this year, and still might be able to do something late summer or in the fall…we shall see. But at this very moment
my thoughts go to another group of students from my alma mater, Loyola College in Maryland, who are currently
participating in the exact same program. I’m thinking of them and hope they too experience the beauty of what we call
Project Mexico. Los Ninos works
mostly with university groups on student immersion programs, but there are ways that individuals and families can
volunteer too — just contact them through their website to learn more.