Last August 24, 2024, the Pines City Colleges Academic Scholars’ Organization (PiCCASO) conducted an Organization Assembly at the PCC Covered Court. This event was conceptualized to establish a culture of collaboration, interaction, and inspiration and gathered the scholars from all levels to participate in a day filled with meaningful activities, reminiscing about the past, and plans for the future.
Registration was relatively smooth, with the students streaming into the gym, ready to be immersed in this day of learning and companionship. The program was started with an invocation that set a reflective and serious tone for the day and followed by the welcome remarks that were delivered by Sir Jayson Belino, SAS Head, strongly saddled on unity and collaboration values amongst the students. It also took a minute to reflect on the assembly’s history, celebrating efforts from past leadership that helped the current scholar community. This included celebrating the achievements of the graduated scholars who, in turn, do great things in their perspective endeavors. This segment was rather an inspiration to the current students, reminding them of the legacy they are part of and the need to add to it.
Celebrating PCC Scholarships
One of the main points at this event was the subject of PCC scholarships. Entry into the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) in 2024, courtesy of Pines City Colleges through the Eugenio S. Baltao Scholarship Grant (ESBSG), was proudly claimed. Recognized in the global top for student support and engagement, PCC’s achievement underlined the effects of scholarships on students to enable them to do the best. It highlights the 100% full discount for the ESBSG, their tuition, laboratory, miscellaneous fees, and their internship. They took some time to acquaint themselves with different scholarships available, such as the PCC-SAGIP, Dean’s Lister A, and Dean’s Lister B, elaborating on how such awards changed lives and transformed the academic trajectories of recipients. This is an important session to ensure transparency and accountability while instilling a sense of responsibility among students.
From here, after a refreshing lunch, the assembly now shifted to the Recognition of Scholars segment, recognizing students for their academic excellence and great contributions to the community. And with that in mind, as a touching gesture, each scholar was given a customized notebook with a pen, symbolizing the start of a new chapter of their academic journey—a chapter they will write with dedication and excellence. In the afternoon, socialization activities were focused on, structured in a way to break barriers and make the students connect on a deeper level
Planning for the Future
Of great importance was the Election of Officers for the Academic Year 2024-2025, whereby students were given an opportunity to elect leaders that would represent and direct their community in the right direction. They then took their oath to serve with integrity and commitment. Creating the One Year Development Plan was a visioning session where the students, together with their leaders, were supposed to identify major activities and objects they intended to pursue within the next year. Indeed, this was a well-desired testimony to the assembly’s mission not only to bring the students together but also to involve them in active participation in shaping their common future.
A Prudent Closure
The day was summed up with Closing Remarks by Ms. Rosemarie Ocampo, who wrapped up the spirit of the event with words of encouragement and gratitude. She emphasized the importance of personal relationships and plans throughout the assembly and encouraged students to keep striving collectively for their own futures.
The Scholars’ Assembly: Uniting Minds, Inspiring Future was more than an event; it was a celebration of the potential lying within each student and an overwhelming reminder of what can be achieved when they come together. Clad in their black and green, the students filed out of the PCC Gym with a renewed sense of self and a collective promise to uphold the values that would take them through into their academic and professional sojourn: collaboration, interaction, and inspiration. #Barredo Jhahina Aphrodite
