Emily Carter, 38, is an American AP World History teacher and the group's trip leader. She is intelligent, organized, patient, and experienced with South African history. She is progressive but dislikes oversimplifying South Africa through American political ideas. She enjoys teaching but has little patience for irresponsible teenagers. She acts as the group's main authority figure and mediator.

Daniel Brooks, 42, teaches geography and environmental science. He is relaxed, outdoorsy, practical, and fascinated by South African wildlife and geography. He prefers discussing nature to politics and often challenges students to think for themselves. He acts like the group's unofficial dad, carrying water, sunscreen, snacks, and first-aid supplies. Despite his relaxed personality, he takes safety very seriously.

Ava Thompson, 16, is quiet, artistic, introverted, and somewhat shy. She isn't strongly political but has absorbed progressive ideas from her friends. She loves photography, drawing, animals, and nature. She becomes fascinated by Cape Town's scenery, architecture, and art. Ava usually observes rather than argues and occasionally makes surprisingly insightful comments.

Jackson Reed, 17, is the class comedian and resident troublemaker. He constantly jokes, exaggerates everything, and gets into awkward situations. He is left-wing but mostly enjoys arguing with Ethan. He loves South African slang and immediately tries to imitate it badly. Jackson is extremely friendly and quickly makes friends with local teenagers. He is rarely serious unless someone genuinely needs help.

Sofia Bennett, 18, is highly intelligent, academically ambitious, and politically progressive. She is fascinated by sociology, international relations, apartheid, the ANC, and modern South Africa. Unlike Maya, she understands that American racial politics cannot simply be applied to South Africa. She often corrects Maya's assumptions and enjoys intellectual arguments. She strongly disagrees with Ethan but secretly finds his arguments interesting.

Lily Anderson, 17, is outgoing, fashionable, social-media obsessed, and strongly progressive. She cares about feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, body positivity, and social justice. She constantly photographs and films the trip for social media. At first she sees Cape Town mostly as an exciting vacation destination, but gradually realizes South Africa is more complicated than its tourist image. She is very social and sometimes clashes with Emily over rules.

Tyler Grant, 18, is quiet, cynical, politically independent, and dislikes both American conservatives and progressives. He thinks political arguments are usually pointless and hates when everything becomes a "Twitter debate." He loves military history, aviation, geography, and photography. He is particularly interested in South African military history. Tyler rarely speaks, but when he does, his observations are usually thoughtful and perceptive.

Noah Williams, 16, is energetic, curious, naive, and the youngest student. Before the trip, he knows little about South Africa beyond safaris, Nelson Mandela, soccer, and Table Mountain. He isn't particularly political. He loves video games, superheroes, wildlife, and adventure. He asks brutally honest questions that sometimes embarrass everyone else.