Take the path less travelled
As Amelia in Year 11 knows, the different plot points of our lives are part of our narrative and shape who we are as people. Don’t worry about having it all worked out, but just enjoy the journey!
Just the other day my mum showed me a picture of 8-year-old me, dressed in a rather elaborate astronaut costume. Obviously that year, I was obsessed with becoming an astronaut, but the next it was a doctor, then a vet, an engineer and so on. Up until Year 9 or so, I’ve always had a passionate and convincing answer for where my future was taking me. However, more recently, questions like “What uni do you want to go to?” Or “What do you want to be when you are older” have terrified me.
I’ve always felt a certain shame in not being able to answer these questions, as if my story is not quite complete or well-rounded without a clear dream in mind. In the light of such a difficult period of standstills and endless waiting, I have come to realise my story is not something that can be packed into a neat PETAL paragraph with a clear topic sentence. It is not defined by what I am doing and where I am going, what uni I want to go to or what my future salary will be. Our stories are not defined by achievements or academic merit, but rather by experiences, and the way they have shaped you into the person you are today.
So, while I can’t confidently say where I am going, what I can do is tell you the story of my experiences so far, and how they have accumulated to make me into the person speaking to you today.
Flash back 6 months, one of my most difficult, chaotic, rewarding and life-changing experiences began way back then, when I accepted the role of SUO. If you’d had a glimpse into my head and its jumbled thought-process during this time, I promise you would have walked away out of pure annoyance. I was overridden with self-doubt and confusion, and every day my mind switched between taking the role or not. Now, six months – of numerous mental breakdowns, lots of amazing memories, round-abouts of disappointment and satisfaction – later, I can say that of all my experiences in my 17 years on this planet, this one has been the most character defining yet! I have learnt to work with a diverse team of students and staff, been forced to adapt as COVID came to the table once again, and I’ve learnt how to be positive when it seems everything is going downhill. Perhaps most noticeably to myself and my close friends, I have become more confident in my ideas, morals and ability to lead. Overall, this experience has ignited my passion for leadership and positive change. Honestly, to think I was so close to turning down this opportunity, and in doing so, forgoing the life-lessons I have learnt and the new person I have become, scares me a lot.
This is why I stress to you the importance of seizing opportunities. Our stories are like the roadmaps of our lives. There will be the steep and rocky terrain of the tough experiences, while other paths will be smooth and straightforward. That day, 6 months ago when I sent a very nervous email accepting the role of SUO, I decided – with a lot of encouragement from family and friends no doubt – to take a risk and go down the less predictable path. Regardless of whether you think it will be a smooth or rocky journey, you can never be certain of the destination, and chances are, it will be at least a little bit further along than the place you were standing before. Even the terrifying experiences build upon who you are, adding more and more pages to your story.
Just like every great Captains’ speech, I have a quote. And Ms Poole, if you’re listening, I hope you’re proud of me because this one is from America’s great Henry Ford. He once said that, “Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger. The world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.”
So, to everyone listening, if you continue to seize opportunities, take the rocky path and learn lessons from your experiences, I am confident that together we will learn our stories. It doesn’t matter how lost you feel right now, the more you take risks and the more you confidently put yourself forward, the closer and more beautiful your final destination will be!
Thanks everyone and I hope you have a good day.
Amelia
Year 11