MCISA Annual Study Retreat

By Jeremy Jimlan, MCISA President, Hotel and Restaurant Management Major, U of Mindanao

Davao City - The Minority Care International Students Association (MCISA) held its annual three-day retreat in early August, at Emilia Healing Resort, an immersive experience for the MCISA students and other participants. The students studied Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, a World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption. The book vividly details the story of former Olympic runner and WWII POW, Louis Zamperini, and covers his prank prone childhood, his nascent track training, his goal to win an Olympic medal in the 1936 Berlin Games, his disappointment at having 1940 games cancelled, his enlistment in the US Army, his WWII experience in training running  bomber and rescue missions in the South Pacific, the plane crash, his 47 days on a raft in the sea, and his two brutal years in Japanese POW camps. Reading the incredible historical details, lessons, and fascinating anecdotes, we walk alongside Louie and his journey. Post WWII, he tries to recover his previous life, but battles with demons until he experiences redemption.

The event brought together MCI students and SETBI students from College Education Behind Bars, creating a unique space for reflection on their personal survival, resilience, and redemption. The discussion centered on Louie Zamperini’s journey of faith, as depicted in Unbroken. Participants explored how Zamperini’s spiritual awakening, even after the most desperate of circumstances as a prisoner of war, offered him a sense of peace and

purpose. With the theme of “Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” the retreat provided a platform for the SETBI students and youth to reflect on their own lives and to find hope in their faith, reinforcing the idea that redemption is possible regardless of one’s past. Participants delved into the incredible physical and mental fortitude required for survival, mirroring Zamperini’s harrowing ordeals in the ocean and the camps. The retreat’s serene environment served as a backdrop for deep discussions on the human capacity to endure hardship and to find meaning in the midst of struggle. Through these sessions, the students gained a deeper appreciation for the resilience of the people they serve and an understanding of the importance of empathy and of humanitarian service.

Drafted from Jeremy Jimlan's thoughts