Los Niños: A Lesson in Generosity in Mexicali

December 18, 2025

Written By: Flora Adair ’26

When a cluster of 20 Cate students arrived at the border between Calexico and Mexicali, we were greeted by the trip coordinator Alonso Lucero, wearing a blue corduroy zip-up and a wide smile. After leading us across the border and climbing a rambling bus, Alonso joked that preparing for the Los Niños group could be compared to “planning a wedding” with the amount of organization it took to move, house, and feed 25 people. Alonso explained to our group that he had been opening his home to Cate students for 29 years.

Los Niños is known to the Cate community as a service trip, but for every way Cate students serve during the program, by mixing concrete and or playing tag with local children, the community in Mexicali gives back tenfold. When we arrived at the Los Niños house, Alonso’s wife had set out steaming quesadillas and stacked cups on the countertop; inside the bunkrooms, a colorful blanket was folded up at the end of each bed. Being shown these small gestures upon our arrival showed us how much Alonso cared about the Los Niños program, and how much of his year he dedicated to planning it.

We continued to experience moments that made us reframe our “service trip” mindset the following day at the shelter Albergue del Desierto. When our group arrived at a quiet, gated migrant shelter, we were each enveloped in a hug by Monica, the director of the albergue. After giving us a tour of the space, Monica sat our group down at a long conference table and opened up about the hope and resilience it took for migrants to simply arrive at the Mexicali border. Monica gave insight and perspective to the group through her vulnerable stories, and she only asked for our attention and questions in return.

Monica, Alonso, and countless other members of the Los Niños community in Mexicali, are truly the ones who engage in “service” during the bi-annual Los Niños program. They dedicate their time to making Los Niños a program that fosters community, offers a new point of view, and exposes Cate students to a new culture. Their service does not go unnoticed back on the Mesa. Thank you, Alonso, Monica, and each member of the Los Niños community!