Family trees can be traced across the globe. For Jack Wixson ‘24, his roots go back to a small town in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The past three summers, he’s spent time connecting with his ancestry by teaching English to kids there.
“I wanted to visit where my family was from, but I also wanted to do something to help out,” Wixson said. “I knew that area of Honduras was really poor. And so I was looking for stuff to help out with, and I realized they didn’t know English there.”
Wixson joined a nonprofit organization to teach kids in second and third grade how to speak English, and also to connect with them and create memories.
“I had a picture of my dad, and when I went into the class, I’d be like, you know, ‘I’m a son. This is my dad. And this is my mom,’” Wixson said. “I pointed to my dad, and some kid raised his hand and asked if that was Joe Biden.”
Wixson learned not only about Honduran culture and community, but also about his own family history and lineage.
“I got to learn a lot about my grandma—where she grew up, where she used to work as a kid. She didn’t go to school,” Wixson said. “And so for her and me, this was pretty big because I’m giving these kids something that she wasn’t able to have as a kid. I met people in my family I didn’t know existed. Like my Uncle Chewy, who’s not my uncle, but he’s been friends with my grandma forever.”
Wixson’s goal was to make a difference in the world. He wanted to provide a better future for the kids he taught.
“They’re not able to travel outside of Honduras. A lot of them are not even able to travel outside of their city. I teach them about the world,” Wixson said. “I teach them different languages, and hopefully get them to be interested in this and want to pursue it further.”
Though he originally went to Honduras to learn more about his family, Wixson has found a passion for helping others. His time in Honduras taught him about life beyond his own in America.
“It taught me about the world and about parts of my own culture and my family that I didn’t know existed, or didn’t embrace up until then,” he said.
These trips were about teaching kids about the world, but they also helped Wixson visualize his future and the impact he wants to leave on that world.
“Wherever I go to college, I want to study abroad, and I want to take that study abroad one step further and help out those wherever I study,” Wixson said. “I definitely want to do something like this again.”