Fronteras: Local San Antonio students gain new perspective on U.S.-Mexico relations through Mexico City trip

The United States and Mexico share one of the busiest land ports in the world with billions of dollars in goods traded between the two countries.

Students from one San Antonio network of schools had the opportunity of a lifetime in December to travel to Mexico City and learn about culture, leadership, and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Seventeen students and 10 teachers under the CAST Schools network — tuition-free, nonprofit campuses aligned with local public school districts — met with a Mexican senator, toured the Senado de la República, and stopped at Coca Cola’s Mexican headquarters during their five-day trip.

They were the first high school delegation to participate in the USMexico360 diplomacy program, an initiative that is normally exclusive to high-level officials and leaders in government and business.

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TPR's Norma Martinez interviews students from the CAST Schools network on their trip to Mexico City. From left to right: Audrie Torres, student at CAST MED; Elizabeth Agosto, history teacher at CAST Med: Aidan Davenport, student at CAST Advanced Learning Academy.

Texas Public Radio / Marian Navarro

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CAST Schools network faculty and students at TPR headquarters. Aidan Davenport and Audrie Torres (left and right) were part of the Student Advisory that visited Mexico City in December. Elizabeth Agosto, a history teacher at CAST Med, was one of the faculty on the trip.

CAST Schools Network

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From left to right: TPR's Norma Martinez: Aidan Davenport, student at CAST Advanced Learning Academy; Audrie Torres, student at CAST Med; Elizabeth Agosto, history teacher at CAST Med.

Texas Public Radio / Marian Navarro / Texas Public Radio / Marian Navarro

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Seventeen students and 10 students under the CAST Schools network traveled to Mexico City in December as part of the USMexico360 program. Some of those students and staff spoke to TPR's Fronteras about their experience. From left to right: Elizabeth Agosto, teacher at CAST Med; Audrie Torres, student at CAST Med; TPR's Norma Martinez; Aidan Davenport, student at CAST Advanced Learning Academy.

CAST Schools Network

Elizabeth Agosto, a history teacher at CAST Med, was one of the faculty members on the trip.

She said not only was she able to see students grow and learn on the trip, she also saw that Mexico was more than what she had experienced living in the border city of Eagle Pass.

“Things I didn’t learn in my childhood despite being so close to the border … I saw them come to life right then and there,” she said. “I saw the reality of what our relationship with Mexico is, and it's not just going across the border for a nice dinner.”

Fronteras also spoke with a handful of students who participated in the USMexico360 diplomacy program.

Audrie Torres, a student at CAST Med San Antonio, made the trip for the second time as part of the Student Advisory.

She said the trips have sparked her interest to study abroad and explore opportunities outside her comfort zone.

“I can’t really describe how wonderful these experiences have been,” she said. “I have these doors open for me now. Not only do I form connections here in San Antonio, in my home, but I can form connections across the world.”

Other participating CAST Schools students who join us on the program are Aidan Davenport, Leo Fletcher, and Ezbai Hernandez.