Agriculture is the foundation for sustainable development. The future of agriculture depends on the next generation. Despite the significant role youth programs play in international leadership and innovation, they are limited. The purpose of this study was to gauge educator’s personal experiences when introducing international agricultural education programs. Three research questions guided the study—RQ1) what challenges were faced; RQ2) what lessons were learned; and RQ3) what steps were needed to improve? We used a phenomenological case study design guided by semi-structured interviews with four (n = 4) international agricultural fellows at the end of [Program] organized by [University] and [Agency]. During the program, fellows established 4-H and agricultural education programs in different high schools in Tlaxcala and Puebla, Mexico. All participants were female, originally from the United States, and held a bachelor's degree in agriculture. Guided by an inductive, constant comparative method, we used open and axial coding to identify emergent themes. “Overcoming cultural norms” emerged as the primary theme for RQ1 and was supported by the challenges of 4-H being new (P1, P2, P3, P4), Mexico having a different bureaucracy system (P1, P2, P4), and language barriers (P3). “Collaborative growth” emerged as the primary theme for RQ2. Related to this theme, fellows’ relationships (P1, P2), passionate students (P3), fellows’ confidence (P4), and desire to learn about Mexican agriculture (P4) emerged as subthemes. Finally, the “need for continual learning” emerged for RQ3 and was supported by improving 4-H teaching techniques (P1, P2, P3), overcoming language barriers (P2), and studying the Mexican school systems (P3, P4). We recommend tailoring educational opportunities and providing regional language training, as fluency in Spanish was often inadequate for connecting with local learners. Additionally, we recommend implementing “lessons-learned” training so educators and researchers can build from established success related to international agricultural education.