QUEST Term Service & Leadership Trip

Guided by the World Leadership School, students spent a week exploring immigration, policy, and justice through direct interaction with nonprofit leaders, legal advocates, and frontline community workers. Highlights included attending a jazz festival in Las Cruces, participating in a simulated migrant journey, touring the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and visiting the only Border Patrol Museum in the country.

Throughout the trip, students also thought critically about migration and humanitarian issues while also making meaningful contributions to local service efforts. They engaged with organizations like Border Servant Corps and Estrella del Paso, learned about the complex legal pathways to citizenship, and observed federal immigration court proceedings. Alongside these powerful experiences, they found time for reflection, laughter, and adventure, sledding the dunes at White Sands National Park, sharing meals, and working together to harvest more than 800 pounds of onions at Jardin de Milagros for families experiencing food insecurity. The trip was a powerful reminder of the impact of service learning and the importance of showing up with curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to act.