Since the start of 2025, when I joined OIL, my work has largely revolved around UP students who are either excitedly preparing to leave for their exchange programs or returning home with stories from abroad. HIRAYA 2025 offered the reverse experience. This time, my work revolved around international students who visited the Philippines.
HIRAYA 2025 is a three-week short-term program that brings together participants from universities in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Together with local student-volunteers from various UP campuses, they began their program in UP Diliman, then moved to Batangas State University and Central Bicol State University for the latter leg of the program, taking the participants from the capital and into communities where development issues are more starkly felt.
The design of UP HIRAYA (Honing an Inclusive and Socially Responsive Internationalization Program) for this year’s iteration is deliberate. The first leg focused on cultural immersion and education, allowing participants to appreciate Filipino culture and everyday life in the city while also attending workshops on sustainability and resilience. The second leg brought them into communities in Batangas and Bicol, where they listened to the stories of indigenous groups and experienced life in agricultural communities. The final week asked them to translate these encounters and learnings into reform proposals. In this way, the program insists on staying rooted in reality, connecting big ideas to real people and real problems, and equipping participants with skills that extend beyond the classroom.
My stay in OIL has been eventful, from supporting outbound UP students to guiding them in completing their post-mobility reports once they return. I usually learn about their experiences through stories and narrative reports. With HIRAYA 2025, however, I had the chance to witness the transformations firsthand. I watched students navigate new environments, engage with local communities, and apply their learnings to real-world challenges. Witnessing this process has been both inspiring and enlightening. HIRAYA 2025 demonstrated that internationalization is not merely about travel or academic credits; it is about cultivating empathy, cross-cultural understanding, and the ability to act meaningfully in the world.