Team Lakbay, composed of USC students Keturah Ann Nacilla, Jeziel Mae Faelden, Simone Marie Golez, Michael Rey Angelo Mabutas, and Laurenz Mesiah Palanas, bagged multiple awards in the ECOViP Boot Camp 2025, on August 1, 2025, hosted by Thai Nguyen University of Sciences in Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam.
With their entrepreneurial project, “Ohhh-Lango – Paglayag sa Islang Olango,” the Carolinian team received the following awards:
- Best in Pitching
- People’s Choice (Runner-Up)
- Ecotourism Award (Runner-Up)
- Most Promising Project (Runner-Up)
Their sustainable eco-tourism project intends to transform Olango Island into an interactive adventure, where tourists become the main characters in a living storybook as they explore nature-rich and culturally significant locations on the island. The project blends storytelling, real-world interaction, and technology like photo recognition to enhance learning and discovery.
The winning team was coached and mentored by the USC ECOViP team, composed of Engr. Fritz Nichole Abad, Vicente S. Maravilla Jr., Ph.D., Ethel D. Catamco, Ph.D., Demetrio S. Anticuando, Jannalou L. Resos, Ph.D., Julie Otadoy, Ph.D., and Gran Sabandal.
ECOViP is a project co-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by Nha Trang University, which aims to develop entrepreneurial and innovation capacities for sustainable development in tourism in Vietnam and the Philippines. The University of San Carlos is one of the six (6) universities that form part of the consortium from both Philippines and Vietnam. USC also serves as the national coordinator in the Philippines.