University students from more than a hundred institutions from all over the world have participated in the UNIV Congress, an international university congress held every year in Rome during Holy Week. Promoted in 1968 by the founder of the University of Navarra, St. Josemaría Escrivá, the UNIV is a point of meeting where young people seek to dialogue and reflect on issues that affect society. Under the degree scroll Rethinkingthe Future, this year it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Paula Estrada (ISSA '21) and Marta Sobrino (ISSA '21), first-year students at Degree in Management Assistant, are two of the thousands of university students who have "rethought the future" at this year's UNIV Congress. Both of them, residents of the high school major Olabidea, agree that the experience has been unique and that they would definitely recommend it to other young people.
 

Paula Estrada (ISSA '21)

"This is the first time I have participated in UNIV and it was with my oldest high school , Olabidea. Thanks to the lectures and discussions we attended those days at congress, I learned a lot about many different topics. Besides, I had never been to Rome before and I really liked it as a city; we did a lot of sightseeing and we were able to visit everything. I also had the opportunity to meet university students from different countries: one day, we improvised a show where we could see up close cultures such as African, Latin or Japanese, through various groups that were encouraged to dance. After this experience, I would encourage everyone who has the opportunity to participate in UNIV. It is a good time to get to know other cultures, interact with very diverse people, have moments of meditation and live new experiences".

Marta Sobrino (ISSA '21)

"I traveled to Rome with some Olabidea residents, my high school senior. From the UNIV Congress I have thousands of anecdotes, but one of the moments I liked the most was an international gathering we had at the auditorium of the venue where we stayed: university students from thirty different countries performed musical performances typical of our places of origin. We were able to get to know each other much better; it was incredible. At the congress, I had the opportunity to be part of the staff, so I have been able to learn many issues related to the organization of events. I think that for a Management Assistant student the UNIV is a great occasion to put on internship everything we are learning during the degree program. In addition, entering contact with people from very different places financial aid enriches us. On the other hand, I also attended the debates that took place during those days and the conclusions we drew were very useful. Without a doubt, I would encourage all students who have the opportunity to attend UNIV, not to even think about it.