On February 7, 2024, the La Salle Computer Society (LSCS) hosted its Second General Assembly (GA) for the academic year 2023-2024 on Gokongwei G104, G105, and G106.

Inspired by Disney’s Tangled, purple pennant banners and lanterns with golden sun crests were hung to transform the venue to be one reminiscent of the Kingdom of Corona. At 3:00 PM, LSCS members who were filing into the room and seating themselves were greeted by the melodies of one of Tangled’s most iconic songs, “I See the Light,” setting the stage for an unforgettable gathering.

The hosts, Nathan Portez, an Associate Vice President for Human Resource Development (HRD), and Sean Denzel Robenta, a Junior Officer for HRD, kicked off the GA with much enthusiasm, providing a warm welcome to LSCS members and officers alike. Attendees were also formally greeted by Zachary Gomez, the Vice President for HRD, through his opening remarks.

When later asked about the lasting relevance of General Assemblies throughout the years, Gomez believed that they are essential in informing the members of the organization regarding the activities of the term: “One big thing is the event announcements—you’re going to find out what’s going to happen for the term, so it’s a good way to know what's offered.”

He also added that these events are also helpful in forming meaningful relationships with fellow members: “Since it's a big event, you get to meet a lot of different people. You get to meet new faces—or old faces—and through different icebreakers and activities, you're also able to develop relationships with them.”

One of the ways that these connections are created or fostered is through icebreaker activities, and indeed, the GA provided its attendees with two icebreakers: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Cup, as well as Tumpakners. These games paved the way for laughter, smiles, and friendly competition.

Additionally, the Executive Vice President for Internals, Rey Vincent Inocencio, recapped the various events, highlights, and accomplishments of the previous term—all made possible by the efforts of the different LSCS committees and the participation of LSCS members.

When prompted about the plans of the Internals Department for the current term, Inocencio answered: “So from HRD, this would be this, our General Assembly, and we also have a new event coming our way called Macky Games with its first iteration. It's experimental this term, but should it be a success, we'll be having it again in our next term. Academics-wise, we, of course, have our very exciting flagship competition, Clash of the Brains.”

In addition, plans for events that LSCS members can partake in were revealed by the Vice Presidents of the organizing committee. Project heads of LSCS’ central committee flagship events, Technology Summit and Hackercup, invited fellow members to apply for their central committees to be more involved in organizing the events. A brief question-and-answer segment was held for the project heads to accommodate the questions of interested applicants.

Host and Junior Officer for HRD, Sean Denzel Robenta particularly noticed the members’ enthusiasm through the aforementioned question-and-answer segment: “My takeaway is that despite the silence of the members of LSCS, we can see their eagerness to learn, their competitiveness, and…their willingness to be involved in the GA—in what LSCS has to offer.”

Afterward, Jaryll the Group performed “Raining in Manila” by Lola Amour and “Ere” by Juan Karlos during the intermission. LSCS members excitedly listened to their performance by applauding, singing along, and recording through their phones.

Following the intermission, twenty lucky participants who pre-registered for the event received Starbucks gift certificates through a raffle. LSCS President Mishi Bacay thanked the attendees through her closing remarks, and in its final flourish, the GA culminated in a photo opportunity.

Host and Project Head, Nathan Portez, attributed the event’s success to the individuals that made it possible: “[The event was successful] because of the preparation of our officers, of our project heads...of our higher-ups, of our Vice President, Zach…other LSCS officers, and of course, siyempre, the participants that attended.”

Overall, the smiles, laughter, and memories shared during the event helped forge new bonds between members, strengthen existing ones, and unite LSCS in a vision to inspire others through future endeavors.