19 November 2025
Bilbao Campus
Around 3,000 second-year baccalaureate students from 67 Educsi centres took part on 19 November in the “4th Educsi-UNIJES University Guidance Forum,” organised to discuss university life, career choices, and the value of the Jesuit university programmes.
In the opening session, Jaime Badiola SJ, Educsi delegate, and Ana García-Mina, UNIJES delegate, highlighted how the network of schools and universities of the Society of Jesus in Spain aims to provide each student with a holistic education, supporting them individually in the development of all their talents so that they become women and men with and for others. They also encouraged young people, at this pivotal stage of their lives, to reflect on and become aware of what they are seeking and what their personal and professional aspirations are.
The “4th Educsi-UNIJES University Guidance Forum” also featured Jesuit Javier Bailén SJ, who works at San José School in Málaga and has just completed his studies at Boston College, specialising in Ignatian spirituality and sports ministry. In his presentation, titled “Free to Choose, Free to Serve”, he shared some of the pillars of the Ignatian educational approach, which has a tradition of over 400 years and is present in both Jesuit schools and universities. Bailén encouraged young people not to be afraid to make choices and assured them that Jesuit education will always be by their side, supporting them in their vocational journey and providing an education that enables them to achieve both human and academic excellence.
This was followed by a dialogue session in which baccalaureate students from various Jesuit schools asked questions to students from different universities of the Society of Jesus in Spain. The younger students had the opportunity to express their concerns about choosing a degree, transitioning from school to university, internships at Jesuit universities, and the spaces available at universities for personal growth beyond the academic sphere.
This 4th Forum reflected the synergies between Educsi and UNIJES in their commitment to education and to supporting young people in creating a hopeful future.
