UC Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal

In this research I dive into the testimonies of five border town students who live on the U.S.-Mexico border in the transborder community composed of sister-cities, Calexico, California, and Mexicali, Baja California Mexico. The goal of this study is to use testimonials to help us understand the flaws within the educational site of Calexico High school as well as the limitations it imposes on transborder border town students. Transborder Realities is a new type of journalism focusing on the stories of individuals as a way to bring forward the realities of many. This study unveils the intersectionality between social class, residency, and economic status that lead to social hierarchies in school, creating a division between students of different backgrounds. Each of the participants share personal experiences that greatly impacted them academically as transborder students, encounters that have not only led to struggles with their language, mental health, and career and educational endeavors, but also pushed them in search of better opportunities. This study brings to light the reality of being a transborder student in this culturally rich community, what that entails, and the effects it had in their pursuit of a higher education. These testimonials help to reveal the stigma faced within the educational community of Calexico in hopes of decreasing the mistreatment of transborder students pursuing higher education in the United States.