Junior School Leaders Inspire the Next Generation

On Friday 31 March, our School Captains presented speeches to the Junior School about “leadership” and how to be a positive influence on others. The speeches followed their attendance at the Halogen Young Leader’s Day “Imagination” in Darling Harbor earlier this term. 

Captain Anton Holgate spoke about Sam Webb, who started up a charity to support mental health. Captain Sienna Eve shared what she learnt about leadership from Jade Hameister, a 15-year-old explorer and outdoors adventurer. Gulalai Khalid, Vice Captain, discussed what bio-medical engineer Dr Jordan Nguyen taught her about being a good role model and “persistence”. Kalan Rodrigues, Vice-Captain, shared his reflections on leadership after listening to musical performer Barry Conrad.  

Here is what they had to say: 

Captain: Anton Holgate

Sam Webb had a friend named Casey Lyon. Casey Lyon’s best friend Dwayne Lally lost his life due to mental illness. Sam and Casey were heavily affected and wanted to help so together they created a charity called LIVIN. It is a non-profit Charity where people can go to seek help. The charity took two years to build, and I learned that you need patience, sometimes things will go wrong and you will ‘stuff up’ from time to time. You need to persist and not stop, because if you have a dream just be patient and to get to your goal. Finally, you need positivity, you can be patient and persistent but if you’re not positive it will feel like a chore instead of a fun activity. That’s the three p’s and that’s definitely one thing I took from Sam’s speech. I think to be a good leader you must be patient persistent and positive because if you’re not then it will be harder for you to be a leader.

Captain: Sienna Eve

Jade Hameister is a 15 year old student from Melbourne. At the age of 14, she completed the longest hike to the North Pole by a woman on the planet! Jade told us not to judge ourselves by the opinions of others. People’s negativity should not stop you from reaching your true potential. At Halogen Young Leaders Day, Jade told us to set our goals and dreams higher and to push our limits. Jade really inspired me to always try my best no matter what others say because one day we will reach our goals. 

Vice-Captain: Kalan Rodrigues

Barry Conrad, a musician and actor, has participated in many acts and performances and has been rejected from many more. From his experiences he taught me to not only be resilient and persevere, but to have a positive approach on everything I do. He inspired me to use my gifts and talents to make positive outcomes in the world and inspire others to do the same. I’m not just saying I was inspired because I needed to write about the inspiration that I felt, but because I was legitimately inspired by the speakers. My goals from my speech were not just to talk about Barry Conrad, but to inspire others via Barry Conrad’s Story.

Vice Captain: Gulalai Khalid

Dr Jordan Nguyen, a Chinese bio-medical engineer, created a mind controlled smart wheelchair which allowed people with disabilities to achieve their ultimate goals in life. He has taught me that not everything is achieved on your first attempt. Showing perseverance, persistence and patience is very important and I learned that I should care for others. Dr Jordan showed a lot of these qualities and never gave up no matter what happened. As I listened to his talk I took notes on how to be a better leader myself.