IR Student 's Journey in Tecnológico de Monterrey: From Mexico to the World

Guanzhi Xia is an outstanding student majoring in International Relations, currently on IR exchange in Venice. In 2025, she was awarded a tution free summer school place at Tecnológico de Monterrey through XGlobal, becoming the first student from our university to attend a summer programme at this institution. As one of Latin America's leading private universities, Tecnológico de Monterrey is an important exchange destination for our International Relations programme. We look forward to seeing more IR students follow in her footsteps, choosing exchange progremme in Tecnológico de Monterrey to broaden their academic horizons and enrich their life experiences.

As a student majoring in International Relations, I have always had a strong curiosity about the world beyond my own surroundings. When I first saw the list of summer school programs offered by XJTLU, Mexico immediately stood out among the other destinations. It felt distinctly different. I wanted to explore a place that few people around me had visited, and to see for myself what the so-called “most dangerous city” was really like.

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Tecnológico de Monterrey is one of the largest private universities in Latin America, and this program took students to four different cities across Mexico. The track I participated in focused on migration, and we visited Mexico City, Puebla, Chiapas, and Querétaro. The program aimed to help us understand the experiences of “illegal migrants” traveling from Central America to the United States, as well as the efforts made to support them along the way.

Throughout the course, diverse perspectives emerged during class discussions. Most of my classmates came from the United Kingdom and France, while China is not traditionally considered a country of immigration. As a result, we frequently exchanged views on migration policies and realities in our respective countries, offering contrasting and sometimes challenging perspectives.

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In addition to classroom learning, we visited the Embassy of Honduras in Mexico, where the ambassador personally explained the current migration situation and its political background. We also conducted field visits to refugee shelters, where we listened to migrants share their personal stories and describe how U.S. immigration policies have affected their lives. These first-hand experiences allowed me to connect theoretical knowledge with real human experiences and deepened my understanding of migration as both a political issue and a humanitarian challenge.

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What I found most distinctive was Chiapas, a border region. There, we visited a unique local education system known as a “university.” The youngest children there are only eight years old. They are given food and shelter and may stay for two to four years. However, people of any age and from any place are welcome to join. They also teach Spanish here. Everything is handmade by the people themselves, including the chairs and the curtains on the walls. There are many workshops, such as cooking, sewing, carpentry, and more. Everyone can choose what to learn based on their own talents.

We also went to the border between Mexico and Guatemala. It was a small river that looked quite ordinary, yet residents on both sides crossed it freely in small, unofficial boats. They were not doing anything seriously wrong; they were simply carrying out everyday trade and living their normal lives.

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What I found most distinctive was Chiapas, a border region. There, we visited a unique local education system known as a “university.” The youngest children there are only eight years old. They are given food and shelter and may stay for two to four years. However, people of any age and from any place are welcome to join. They also teach Spanish here. Everything is handmade by the people themselves, including the chairs and the curtains on the walls. There are many workshops, such as cooking, sewing, carpentry, and more. Everyone can choose what to learn based on their own talents.

We also went to the border between Mexico and Guatemala. It was a small river that looked quite ordinary, yet residents on both sides crossed it freely in small, unofficial boats. They were not doing anything seriously wrong; they were simply carrying out everyday trade and living their normal lives.

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The last but not least, the summer school offered something equally valuable: friendship. In just one month, I formed meaningful connections with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. After Mexico, I spent Christmas with friends from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand, sharing traditions, stories, and everyday moments. Later, I visited friends in London, where we reunited on the other side of the world. These experiences made me realize that a summer school is not only a place for learning, but also a space where lasting friendships are built and where the world feels unexpectedly connected.

Tecnológico de Monterrey is an excellent university that provides a supportive and intellectually engaging learning environment. During the summer school, I was able to experience not only high-quality academic instruction, but also the warmth, openness, and cultural richness of Mexico. Through classroom discussions, local visits, and daily interactions, Mexican culture came alive in a vivid and memorable way. Although Mexico is geographically far from China, this experience showed me that it is a country well worth visiting, full of vitality, diversity, and profound cultural charm.

By GuanZhi Xia, BA bachelor’s in international relations

Photos courtesy of GuanZhi Xia