By: Amelia Riepe '27 and Analise Gomez '27
Cate’s Los Niños trip is a cherished tradition that both faculty and students look forward to each school year. Twice a year, Cate members load up into Yukons and drive down to Mexicali where they immerse themselves in the local community by offering acts of service to locals, visiting a variety of shelters and stores, and exploring the area at the border. As more and more students and faculty go on these trips, many feel as though the title of “service trip” doesn’t fully encapsulate the Los Niños experience.
Senior Kate Mcoy, a veteran Los Niños tripper, shares her thoughts about the controversial title of “service trip.” She says, “I think Los Niños should be rebranded! Based on what we do, I think it should be called a community engagement trip instead of a service trip. Shifting the narrative from service to mutual learning or community engagement and focusing on sustainable and respectful bonds could enhance its value for everyone involved.”
Like many other members of the Cate community, Kate believes that the “service trip” label should be traded for a title that focuses on the broader scope of Los Niños and not just the service aspect. All the acts of service Cate students do, such as mixing cement and entertaining children at the local women’s shelter, are reciprocated through the valuable lessons learned and the new perspectives gained from their experiences.
Kate describes a time when she learned something new through community service during the trip. She explains, “The women in the migrant shelter taught us about the hardships that they have faced and will continue to face until they are safe. The family that harvests their own honey taught us how to take care of the bees.” While Los Niños trips are centered around contributing to the Mexicali community, the emotional growth that comes with community service is just as valuable. As Cate students played a fast-paced game of pick-up soccer with the children at the women’s shelter, many women shared stories of their resilience through struggles they endured because of gangs, cartels, and abusive family members. These exchanges are valuable not only because they provide a helping hand to local organizations in Mexicali, but they allow students to develop a deeper understanding of the world outside Cate. Moments like these demonstrate that the Los Niños experience is not one-sided, but instead a mutual benefit for both communities.
The true impact of the Los Niños trip goes beyond strenuous manual labor. Marco Gómez ‘25 recounts the lessons he learned from his Los Niños experience this past fall: “I learned that to make a tangible impact on [others’] lives. I learned that the most impactful moments were in small moments of socializing, being able to bring a smile to their faces, and making their efforts feel seen.”
The term “service trip” also overlooks the small but powerful personal exchanges between the Cate community and Mexicali communities. These “small but impactful moments,” as described by Marco, are what define the Los Niños experience. The title of “service trip” overlooks these interpersonal encounters where real growth happens. By broadening the focus of this trip to emphasize community engagement over acts of service, the impact of the lessons and experiences gained on this trip can be better understood.
Despite not being able to go on the Spring Los Niños trip due to safety concerns, Cate remains dedicated to maintaining this mutually beneficial relationship and supporting Los Niños through alternative initiatives. During an interview with Will Holmes, Director of Community Engagement, he described the ways that Cate students have been engaging in Los Niños activities remotely. Upon hearing that the trip would be canceled this semester, many students’ first thoughts were to host a fundraiser to refund the prepaid expenses that the Los Niños program dedicated to this trip. Mr. Holmes describes the goals of this fundraiser: “The Los Niños program will get some of the money and then the rest will be refunded. The fundraiser was to make up the large gap between the cancellation fee and what the communities would have experienced.”
Cate students who were supposed to travel to Mexicali that weekend also participated in a few classic Los Niños activities, such as visiting the Carpinteria Children's Farm. They also visited dorms to collect donations for the Los Niños community and held a Zoom call with the migrant shelter director in Mexicali to determine the best use of the funds raised. Holmes describes their experience at the local farm they visited: “When we went to the farm, it was a classic Los Niños experience, we went and we learned about the farm, we worked for an hour, we did some manual labor.” In addition, one of the student organizers, Flora Adair ‘26, noted, “Although the cancellation was disappointing, through going to a children’s project and a farm, we still got out two of the most important aspects of the trip: bonding with each other and gaining perspective! I am happy we were able to make an impact even when faced with a challenge.
Despite the physical distance, the connection between Cate and Mexicali only grew stronger through carefully organized remote activities. Cate students not only covered the lost expenses of the Los Niños program but also served their local Carpinteria community. While travel to Mexicali wasn’t possible this year, the essence of the “Los Niños” experience remained intact as students engaged in meaningful community activities and continued their support for Mexicali.
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