How Collaboration and Community Help Define Tijuana
Thousands of migrants are arriving in Tijuana to seek asylum in the United States. Some media are framing Tijuana as an unwelcoming and unsafe city. But as a lifelong resident of this special place, I want Americans to know three reasons they can be thankful for the power of collaboration and community that are the true calling cards of my hometown.
Fueling economic growth on both sides of the border
It’s no accident that Tijuana is now home to the world’s largest land border crossing. In partnership with Southern California, we’ve developed an interdependent market that encourages an innovative industrial economy that is thriving. The Tijuana region is now home to more than 570 world-class corporations. Companies like Panasonic, Foxconn, Plantronics, Bose and Samsung, among others, that provide good employment for Mexicans and Americans alike.
Tijuana is not merely a border town one crosses — it is a hub that attracts companies and people to create and transform. It has grown a local economy into a global, binational market that influences key North American markets in California, the Pacific Rim and Latin America. This growth is not by accident. It’s part of Tijuana’s value to constantly pursue new ideas with passion and desire.
Advancing talent development in the region
While Americans are rightfully proud of their own system of higher education, few likely know much about the thriving university in Tijuana that Americans cross the border every day to attend. My institution, CETYS University, has campuses in border areas including Tijuana and Mexicali, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to educate students from both sides of the border and from around the world…
I have personally witnessed the power of our Tijuana campus for more than 15 years now and I have seen how Mexican and American students can develop into the type of talent that drives the innovation that our economy demands. There is no doubt that when it comes to talent creation and development, our futures in Mexico and the United States are inextricably linked.
Tijuana is a melting pot similar to the U.S.
Tijuana has become a melting pot that checks no box but its own. We are made up of people all around Mexico, Asian communities from China, Korea and Japan, Latin communities from across Central America and a growing population of Americans from the Southwest.
We are proud of our melting-pot culture and I’m optimistic about what we can continue building together on both sides of the border.
Francisco Reyes is the Director of Communications at CETYS University.
*This op-ed originally appeared on InsideSources.com and the San Diego Union-Tribune, where you can read it in full.*
