Alex Velasquez Hernandez, a student from Trevor Browne High School in Phoenix, is among 275 high school students selected to participate in the Civics Matters field trip to Washington D.C. The opportunity arose after his history teacher encouraged him to write an essay on the importance of civics and government. “I never really expected to be here,” Hernandez remarked. “I’ve never really applied myself to school, but I notice that by doing that I can go many places. This is one of them.”
This marks the fourth year of the Civics Matters trip, organized by the Arizona Cardinals in collaboration with Desert Financial, the Close Up Foundation, and Governor Katie Hobbs. The four-day trip includes tours of significant sites such as the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court and offers interactions with lawmakers.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill emphasized the importance of educating young people about government. He stated, “(President) Ronald Reagan said 40 years ago that we’re only one generation away from losing our freedom. It’s important, and it’s part of our job as adults to make sure we educate these kids about our form of government so they are more informed citizens.”
The program focuses on schools in Title I communities to ensure all children have access to quality education and aims to close educational achievement gaps. By next year, Civics Matters Arizona will have reached 10,000 students statewide according to Cardinals chief people officer Shaun Mayo.
Desert Financial supports financial education by providing each participant who opens a checking account with $125 plus $25 in a savings account.
Bidwill expressed enthusiasm for the trip: “It’ll be an amazing trip,” he said, noting that supporting youth sports, special needs programs, and civics education are central community impact goals for the Cardinals.
