In this interview we speak with Nicaraguan 2nd cohort student representative Maria Josefina Davila Vijil about her 3rd semester in the Joint Master in Resilience in Educational Contexts at the University of Lisbon in Portugal.
How was your 3rd semester at the University of Lisbon?
My third semester at the University of Lisbon was an intense and meaningful learning journey. It invited us to engage with resilience from a different perspective, not only as a theoretical concept, but as something embodied, relational, and lived. Many of our courses emphasized resilience as something learned through the body, play, mindfulness, and the arts. This approach created a space for both academic reflection and personal exploration, allowing theory and lived experience to inform each other.
For me, this semester was also about bridging my professional past with my academic present. It felt like a process of integration, bringing together experiences I had already lived with new ways of understanding them. It was a beautiful journey of individual exploration and academic growth.
What did you do for your internship?
For my internship, I worked with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal in a shelter supporting migrants and refugees. My role combined observation, relationship-building, and the design of small group activities focused on well-being, emotional regulation, and resilience. Together with a classmate, I created a short Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) micro-intervention using art, mindfulness, and symbolic practices to offer residents moments of pause, reflection, and connection in the middle of a very demanding daily routine.
One of the most meaningful parts of the internship was having the opportunity to finally put into practice everything I have been learning in the Master’s: trauma-informed care, multisystemic resilience, strengths-based approaches, decolonial perspectives, and culturally responsive work. Being in the shelter allowed me to move beyond theory and really feel what these concepts look like in real relationships, real limitations, and real ethical decisions.
Another important layer of the internship was my own position as a migrant. Working with people who are navigating displacement, uncertainty, and rebuilding their lives felt very close to my own experience. Rather than understanding my role as offering support from the outside, I experienced it as a process of learning how to be present with humility, awareness, and respect for dignity and agency. This perspective helped the work feel more grounded, relational, and meaningful.
What was the highlight?
The highlight of the semester was the combination of living in a vibrant city like Lisbon, sharing meaningful classes with our teachers, and then coming together again for the Winter School in Romania.
This semester was not only academically rich but also emotionally significant, as we knew it would be our last one together before moving fully into the thesis phase. Even though we were divided into two groups, we found many ways to reconnect. We shared an amazing week in Lisbon, where we welcomed our friends from Romania, showed them our classes, our placements, and the city that had become part of our daily lives.
The semester ended with the Winter School in Romania, which felt like a true culmination of our shared journey. Our professors created a thoughtful balance between academic learning, diverse and relevant workshops, and spaces for emotional connection. It was also a beautiful opportunity to experience Romania, its traditions, culture, and food. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, and had the chance to be together one last time as the Flourish family, fully aware of how special and unique this experience was.
How was it living in Lisbon?
Living in Lisbon was a very enriching experience. It is a vibrant and welcoming city, full of light, history, and cultural life. Being able to walk through different neighborhoods, spend time by the river, enjoy the diverse cultural agenda, and share daily routines with classmates made the semester feel both stimulating and grounded.
Like any new place, Lisbon also required some adaptation. Finding housing, adjusting to the rhythm of the city, and balancing academic demands with daily life came with challenges. However, these were often softened by the strong sense of community among our classmates and the supportive atmosphere of the program.
Overall, Lisbon offered a beautiful balance between learning and living. It was a city that allowed space for reflection, connection, and growth, making it a memorable part of my academic journey
