Over the summer, Sacred Heart Greenwich seniors Sophie Halaby, Avery Kim, Emma Marvin, Camila Oliva, Ana Patricio, Emily Sedgwick, and Bianca Shively, traveled to the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas June 10 to 17. Sra. Montserrat García, Upper School World Language Teacher and Network Exchange Coordinator, Mr. Michael Maida, Upper School Math Teacher, and alumna Magdalena (Magda) Dutkowska ’18 accompanied the students on this trip that marked the school’s second year collaborating with ARISE Adelante (ARISE). Through this service trip, the students witnessed the reality of the immigrant experience at the Mexico and United States (US) border.
The mission of ARISE is to empower the immigrant community throughout the US, specifically women and children. The organization operates in four different colonias, which are underdeveloped rural communities that often lack services such as water infrastructure, according to ariseadelante.org. ARISE offers programs to engage and educate its community members, such as the Early Childhood Program and the English Language Development Program for adults and children. The organization also offers the Border Witness Program and the Summer Program to volunteers who seek to learn about the colonias.
The Sacred Heart seniors participated in the ARISE Summer Program, where they prepared crafts and activities for children under 12 to enjoy. For instance, the children raced around under the Texas sun, playing soccer and tossing around water balloons. As the week progressed, the seniors gained a deeper understanding of the true definition of a hospitable community as they formed bonds with the children. Sra. García reflected on the importance of understanding the lives of immigrants.
“The most important thing was for us to be in the colonias and to participate in everyday life activities with the children and listen to the stories of the people that work and live in the colonias,” Sra. García said. “Just by having lunch with them, playing with their children, and having parties with them helped us see that they have the same goals in life as us. They just happened to be in a different place at one point in their lives.”
ARISE created the Border Witness Program to dissolve misunderstandings about the conflicts raised about the border along the Rio Grande Valley. Individuals who participate in the Border Witness program visit refugee centers and colonias and listen to firsthand stories of immigrants, according to ariseadelante.org. Sacred Heart students attended presentations from US Customs and Border Protection officers, the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), the South Texas Civil Rights Project, and the Sisters of Mercy. The border patrol officers answered students’ questions, sharing their perspectives on the realities along the border, while ProBAR representatives explained how they address the legal needs of adults and unaccompanied children in federal custody, according to americanbar.org.
Magda attended Fairfield University and graduated in 2022 with a major in International Affairs, Politics, and Spanish and a minor in Humanitarian Action. As a Polish immigrant, her research and her work experience have focused on migration and refugees. Magda spoke about the activities she participated in during the ARISE trip that impacted her the most.
“What truly stood out to me was speaking with the agencies, including Border Patrol and the American Bar Association, who work directly with (or against) the people on the border,” Magda said. “Hearing both groups speak provided me with a profound and heartbreaking grasp of the disconnection between the border laws and the reality of the people who were attempting to cross the border.”
Over the years, organizations such as ProBAR have used the media to inform their audiences about issues regarding immigration to spread the word about their mission according to americanbar.org. As the topic of immigration continues to appear in the news, Magda discussed the media’s impact on the lack of human dignity that immigrants face at the border and throughout the US.
“I think the media can be a very dangerous and or powerful tool used to distribute certain messages that may or may not be ultimately what is true or reality,” Magda said. “Living in the Tri-state area, we can choose to distance ourselves from these pressing issues of border crossings and immigration because there is a physical distance that separates us from what is happening along el Rio Grande. We can turn off the media or choose to watch certain portrayals of it to appease or influence our current understanding of the issues. But I think the media also has an essential role in portraying how each and every number is a real-life person who has a story, lived experiences, and a dignity that deserves the respect and attention after the journey it has endured.”
Throughout the service trip, not only did the Sacred Heart students further educate themselves on the overall topic of immigration, but they also experienced the daily lives of immigrants in the US. They visited Doña Teresa, who has lived in the colonia Muñiz for decades, and listened to her story. Magda explained how influential it was to hear the firsthand stories of the immigrant community.
“The stories are the lived reality behind immigration,” Magda said. “It’s quite easy to detach yourself from the atrocities that are happening along the border, and it’s less painful that way to turn from it; however, history continues to write itself, and we have the choice to learn from it and grow from it. But we can only do that by recognizing and including the voices of the survivors who have lived and continue to live through it to ensure that the light is shining on the truth.”
Featured Image by Camila Oliva ’24
