Alec Devaprasad of the 2021 cohort spent his summer in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, conducting an independent research project on the region’s education system. He interviewed individuals at various institutions, including Centro Victoria Casa de Hogar, Colegio Juan de la Barrera, and Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juárez. Alec spoke with school administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, and students in Ciudad Juarez about the obstacles students face in completing their education. He says, "I have not only learned a great deal about the educational system and its obstacles but also about the city's history and economy today.”

Alec compiled the results of his research in an article that was published in the Center for Global Education's Global Observer magazine. He writes:

"For families who already must struggle to simply provide basic needs on a weekly basis and whose communities have experienced historic disenfranchisement from the educational and political systems, rather than receiving additional resources and support to promote upward social mobility through education their pathway is often filled with further obstacles they must overcome. This is directly tied with a continuation of the cycle of poverty and further disenfranchisement."

Read Alec's full essay here.