By: Shayra Laja and Kara Cabangcalan
The school’s official campus publication once again opened its arms to hopefuls during the annual Link Screening held last July 29. Through Zoom, a telecommunication platform, students from different departments were given a chance to audition for a new range of positions available for this school year.
A week before the event, the existing club members already started their promotional campaign through various social media platforms to encourage aspiring journalists to join. Their efforts came to fruition when the total turnout of the screening day surpassed their expectations. Numerous PSDians joined; all of them were eager to highlight the best of their talents and skills. Their high-spirits, coupled with their zealous energy, marked a thrilling start. The program formally started with an opening prayer, followed by the presentation of the general guidelines led by Editors-in-Chief, Shaina Heart Pineda, and Cyr David Cuala. The departments open to the recruitment of new members were the Writers, Layouts, and Video Graphics. Each department was assigned a breakout room in which applicants were redirected to their respective divisions and were instructed to screen-share.
Throughout the screening, the Link heads monitored the applicants and tracked the progress of their outputs. This initiative further brought out the aspirants’ competitive side, which was evident in their unyielding determination and hard work. The applicants for the Video-Graphics unit were assigned to edit a 45-60 seconds video coinciding with the topics provided. These included the Black Lives Matter Movement, Virtual Back to School Experiences, and Safety Precautions for the Coronavirus Pandemic in Qatar. In another room, the aspiring Layout Artists were given the content and were tasked to layout a 101 page regarding Quaranthings, Struggles of Online Class, or Batang Middle East Moments. Lastly, the prospective Writers were assigned to compose a news article and features write up regarding the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Plagiarism was strongly discouraged, and the students were reminded of the consequence, which entailed automatic disqualification. All of the applicants then submitted their outputs to the designated email of each department. The Link moderator, Dr. Don John Vallesteros, uplifted the students’ morale with his closing remarks while Romeo Ezekiel Ocfemia, former editor-in-chief, concluded the meeting with a prayer. Amidst the global pandemic, the pursuit for fervent learners and talent-driven individuals remains unrelenting for the Link’s future relies on their hands.