Back at the Northwest Building

Four campus journalists whose opinions matter, featured in the Philippine Star.

I READ an article in the Philippine Star a couple of weeks ago that brought me back to that small office at the Northwest Building where I sat at the biggest table at the back of the room.  Back when I was in college.  Yes, I studied where they named buildings after cardinal compass points.

Like the four twenty-somethings in the feature, I too served as the Editor-In-Chief of my school paper – both in college at The New Builder at the Mapúa Institute of Technology, and in high school at The New Beam at the Mapúa Pre-Engineering Technological High School.  I vividly recall being told to have topped a field of 125 aspirants for reportorial staff openings in college.  Of all that I wrote in the tryout, I hold the one about handling criticism, closest to my heart.

During my time I already felt like a rock star, writing my articles in Wordstar and laboring over the dummies a.k.a. mock-ups.  After classes, I’d take one of those beat-up buses to make it to our printing press somewhere on the way to the University of the Philippines.

There was always one issue I’d look forward to releasing every year.  And like most campus journalists, I had my share of being summoned to the president’s office over a controversial piece.  I was told that I was supposed to be let go by those uncomfortable with what we wrote – but they just couldn’t as I was at the top of my class.

Ah, memories.

I can’t wipe off this smile on my face as I read this write-up.  Gosh, the kids nowadays.  And all the gadgets and the power of the internet at their fingertips.  I feel so old.

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