By Martha Vera,
Honorary Consul of Spain
The Paso del Norte World Affairs Council had its beginnings in 2016 under the Borderplex Alliance. It is one of 92 World Affairs Councils in the United States. It is a non-partisan organization that educates our community on issues that affect our world and ultimately our region.
The PDNWAC went on its own in 2019, to bring information about World Affairs to our community. Its flagship program, Academic WorldQuest, is a local and national competition where high school teams compete on their knowledge of current world affairs. Its purpose is to educate and encourage high school students to seek careers in public service, government, both local and international. Internships are always available in Washington D.C. and locally.
Local business sponsors such as the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation, Transtelco, Microsoft, Viavi Solutions, New Mexico State University, and Mundo’s have supported the competition in recent years.
The first-place winning team is sent to Washington, D. C., all expenses paid, to compete with other teams from all over the United States. Second and Third place teams are also rewarded, locally.
This year, April 1, 2023, will mark the 5th Annual Academic WorldQuest Competition. Fifteen teams will be competing to win the opportunity to represent our Paso del Norte region and compete with about ninety other teams.
The Socratic Team has won the last four competitions. Last year’s winners are as follows:
First Place went to Team Socrates under Mr. Gary Berglund. The winners were:
Mr. Luke Miller
Miss Andrea Veliz
Mr. Adriel Bustillos
Miss Eva Asfahani
Second Place went to Eastwood’s Team under Mrs. Amy Holzman. They are:
Mr. Joaquin Madrid
Mr. Thomas Moore
Miss Sophia Gallegos
Mr. Arnas Budreckis
Third Place went to Northwest Early College High School under Ms. Francesca Alonso. They are:
Mr. Ivan Munoz
Mr. Andrew Amaya
Miss Hayden Motch
Mr. Isaiah Elias
Who will the winners be this year? After 3 years of a virtual competitions, the competition will be held in person. It is scheduled at El Paso Community College Cafeteria Annex in Building C on April 1, 2023, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Parents, superintendents, principals, and teachers are welcome to attend.
If your school is interested in participating in next year’s competition, please contact Mr. Gary Berglund at Berglund.wacep@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to send the winning scholars to Washington, D. C., please contact Martha Vera at consulspain@gmail.com. The Paso Del Norte World Affairs Council is a non-profit organization under the Paso Del Norte Foundation. All donations are tax deductible.