2020 College Dux HIGH ACHIEVERS’ ASSEMBLY SPEECH
and a little character development never hurts.
Although 2020 was admittedly not the ideal year of fulfilling new year’s resolutions, from day one I was determined to make sure that, throughout the year, I would have no regrets. I did not want to let go of any incredible opportunities that would have enriched me, miss out on making a lifelong friend or never end up learning something new. Without having a positive, ‘just-do-it’ attitude, I would never have been able to play a lead in our musical, study a language, or participate in a plethora of exciting cocurricular activities. Now, because of the saying “once a St Al’s girl, always a St Al’s girl”, I couldn’t not talk about at least one of the Mercy values. Thus, the value of Courage perfectly encapsulates the key to fulfilling goals and overcoming challenges without any room for regret or thoughts of what could have been. And so, in the wise words of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus, I ask you to “take chances, make mistakes, get messy” – because you never know what great memories may arise from a bit of risk-taking.
During the past couple of months I have been free of any homework or exam study, I have been able to reflect on my experiences of 2020. Whilst planning and writing this speech, I was determined to share with you some advice that you could potentially use within your own life, no matter who you are or what you pursue. Although I still have lots to learn, I would like to talk about the three things I believe brought about my success throughout my high school life, leading me to where I stand in front of you today. I believe that these three things are Courage, Hard work and Passion.
I can say that, without a doubt, the absolute most important thing to channel in life is passion. The dictionary defines passion as ‘a strong and barely controllable emotion’ but I believe it is that and so much more. For me, passion helped me do the things I loved every day, manifested self-motivation during hardship, and remained at the core of my personal, social, and political beliefs that I wanted to live through my words and actions. The most notable instance of this was my year-long project of creating my Studio Arts artwork – drawing 100 portraits of women in my
2020 College Dux, Greta Linehan with College Principal, Mary Farah.
My name is Greta Linehan, and it is my utmost honour and privilege to be standing here today as the St Aloysius college dux of 2020; representing a class that I am quite sure no one is going to forget. I want to start off by congratulating every member of the class of 2020. Your incredible success and ability to prosper is clear through the outstanding academic achievements of the year, as well as through observing your journeys from stressed out students flourishing into accomplished women. I would say that 2020 was a tough one for us, but overcoming the hardships of a trying year has ultimately shaped us into the strong individuals we are today,
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Always Aloysius – Winter Edition, 2021
