On August 25, 2026, the Global Engagement Office (GEO), Office of Student Affairs (OSA), and Office for Social Concern and Responsibility (OSCAR) organized “Service Learning Across Borders,” which brought together ADNU students and members of the University community to hear and reflect on the recent international experiences of fellow Ateneans. The activity formed part of BANWAAN: Internationalization-at-Home (IaH), which brings international and intercultural learning closer to the AdNU community through experiences shared on campus.
Juliana Eunice Fuentes and Ma. Deloris Macalino shared their experiences from the in back in December 2025 until the first week of January 2026, where young people from across the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) encountered one another through prayer, community, service, reflection, and intercultural exchange. Their stories touched on entering unfamiliar communities, building relationships across cultures, and discovering deeper meanings of and through encounter and service.
Cedric Cortez, Jr. and Sofio Joseph Almoneda, meanwhile, shared their journey from the 16th AJCU-AP Service Learning Program in Timor-Leste. Their encounters with a country shaped by conflict, independence, memory, and resilience opened conversations on peace and reconciliation, solidarity, and the lessons communities can learn from one another despite differences in history and culture.
The four delegates later came together for a moderated conversation that connected their experiences rather than treating them as separate travel reports. Their stories resonated with participants.
One reflected, “We are all diverse but united with each struggle,” while another shared that even when people venture beyond their own culture, they can still “find pieces of yourself in other people you share experiences with.” Others spoke about becoming more open to different cultures and recognizing that service can reach beyond borders.
In the end, crossing borders is only one part of the experience. What students bring home matters just as much: new perspectives, relationships formed across cultures, lessons learned from communities, and a deeper understanding of themselves and others. An international experience finds greater meaning when what students discover elsewhere continues to shape how they see, serve, and engage the world back home.
This is also what collaboration among GEO, OSA, and OSCAR seeks to make possible. The three offices support students at different stages of international engagement, from preparation and accompaniment to their return to the University and the sharing of what they have learned.
The activity was hosted by Ms. Maria Josephine I. Reyes, Program Officer for Student Activities and Student Organizations of OSA.
Photos by: Mark Jovit Verona & Gian Carla Platero
