Unlocking leadership potential

The unique opportunity that provides our Junior Secondary School students to grow as public speakers and leaders, whilst representing their school.

Junior Secondary School students have excelled at the challenge of being ‘student ambassadors’, sharing their experiences with future MLC families.

For many MLC families, their first impressions of the College may have come from an Open Morning tour, exploring the Kew campus with the help of a guide. Upon joining the College, Principal Diana Vernon initiated the Junior Secondary School Ambassadors Program, providing roles that empower students to share their authentic insight with prospective families. According to Toni Reid, the program coordinator, the JSS Ambassador’s role is to, “bring the facilities to life, and let the families know what’s happening in our learning spaces and what [the students] have been involved in personally.”

Of course, running an entire 40-minute tour of MLC is no mean feat and requires, among other things, the ability to converse with a new family. “Some of our Ambassadors come with a lot of skill sets already,” says Toni, “but they all receive training and support from Penny Church (Deputy Head of Junior Secondary School) and I, and we see them grow in confidence.”

New Ambassadors start small and build their way up to running tours on their own. “For their first tour we pair them up, or they come on tour with me,” says Toni, who adds: “It’s not about presenting the most confident girls, it’s about working with girls who are enthusiastic about the College and giving them the tools to step up and be brave.” Their courage and passion for the College leaves a big impression on future students and their families. Clara Motiwalla in Year 8 explains: “I love being the reason a new student might join the school. My favourite place to show new families is the Centenary Building, housing our Home Economics room. I quite literally see their pupils dilate with anticipation.” This sentiment is echoed by Evie Flynn (Year 7) who says: “I have been able to empathise with girls who may be nervous about attending a new school, or worried about starting secondary school, and helped them gain the confidence and excitement they need to happily start their journey at MLC.” For Fiona Lin in Year 8, the Ambassador Program is also an opportunity for growth: “Over the course of the year I got more comfortable with taking tours and talking to the families. Eventually, I was able to take the initiative during Open Mornings, which was really exciting! I believe the program made me more confident about talking in public.” In the words of Principal Diana Vernon, reflecting on the program: “I want our students to have responsibility. In doing so, you demonstrate your respect for them as adults and they, in turn, will respond as adults. Aim high and they will embrace expectations and rise to the challenges.”