We are delighted to share this interview with  Sofiana García Cid, General Coordinator of Languages and International Affairs at the Instituto Cultural Tampico (Mexico), who participated as a facilitator in the Ignatian Global Citizenship Course. This course is a facilitator-led global course that offers a new synchronous global learning experience for Ignatian educators. A new course modality that allows members of our global community to learn together in global groups with educators from different Jesuit schools around the world.

Sofiana ‘s participation as a facilitator not only contributed to delivering on the holistic vision of education offered by Jesuit schools but it has also helped us, as a community, to keep growing as contemporary Jesuit educators. Thank you Sofiana!

Without further ado here is Sofiana’s facilitation experience.

If you are interested in knowing more about our facilitation opportunities, please contact Felipe Revollo at info@educatemagis.org

Q1. What is your full name, current job title, job responsibilities, school name, city and country where you work? 

My name is Sofiana García Cid, and I work as the General Coordinator of Languages and International Affairs at the Instituto Cultural Tampico, a Jesuit school located in Tampico, Mexico. Part of my work focuses on the analysis, design, innovation and implementation of strategies and best practices that promote the development of language skills in language learning from a global perspective.

Q2. Where were you born? Can you briefly share with us a special memory from your own biography that relates to your first interest (curiosity) in God or the Jesuit community? 

I was born in Tampico, a city in northern Mexico. I have always been curious about education; my mother was a teacher, and this sparked my interest from a young age, as I felt a strong commitment to contribute to social change. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to experience a spiritual retreat. I remember that this experience left a lasting impression on me, connecting me deeply with myself and giving me a renewed sense of purpose. This led to my interest in working in a Jesuit school, as I identified with the social commitment and principles that Jesuit education promotes. I especially valued the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of students and help them grow in a holistic way.

Q3. What is your relationship to the Jesuit community? How important is it for your life, your personal ethos, to work for or be part of the Jesuit community? 

Part of my work at the school is to promote interculturality and internationalisation through virtual and face-to-face educational experiences that give our students the ability to recognise their own culture and to be receptive to other ways of thinking and seeing the world. As a staff member of a Jesuit school, I can say that there is a strong connection between the message of our Lord and education for global citizenship. Both provide a solid foundation for the formation of values and principles that seek the human good through social justice, love, service, and respect for others.

Q4. Based on your personal experience, how do you define global education?… and what is the meaning of global citizenship in the context of the document “Jesuit Schools: A Living Tradition in the 21st Century”? 

Personally, I believe that global education transcends geographical and cultural boundaries; it aims to educate students to be active and engaged citizens in an interconnected and multicultural world. I believe it is essential to empower our students to be agents of positive change both locally and globally. In this context, global citizenship means recognising that we are all part of a global community, a human family, and have a responsibility to contribute to global well-being, justice, and peace.

Q5. What has been your experience so far (positive/challenging aspects) in promoting Ignatian Global Citizenship in the cohorts organised by Educate Magis?  

Being part of the facilitators of the Global Citizenship course has been a great opportunity to cultivate my citizenship skills in order to respond to the demand for comprehensive human sustainable development. The dialogue and sharing of reflections and best practices that occurs in each session is the result of committing to build a more just and humane world.

Q6. What is your favourite quote/phrase related to global citizenship, or simply to education, from a historical figure that you admire? 

I would like to conclude with a quote from Pope Francis: “The culture of human encounter is a call that invites us to have the courage to keep alive a common dream. Yes, a great dream, a common dream that has a place for each and every one of us”.
Sharing a dream multiplies the possibilities of a great adventure. It allows us to accompany others and to build a compassionate and supportive bond with them.