Good morning, Mr. name, special guests, staff, teachers and fellow students. It is with great honour that I stand here before you today to accept my position as the Dux of Penola Catholic College in 2015. Achieving Dux is a difficult journey, if it was not for our teachers, family and friends, all of us here on stage today would not be present.
So on that note, thank you to my family for always showing me support and love when I most needed it, and for guiding me in the right direction.
I want to take this opportunity to particularly thank my mother, name, for always pushing me to achieve my best, and for having faith in me and supplying me with an endless pantry of chocolate.
Thank you to my father, name, who always cheered with joy when he heard of my progress in VCE, which truly showed me how much he cared about my future.
I also want to acknowledge my brother, name, for always showing me respect and support, and handing me over reliable advice whenever I needed it.
Your help and guidance will never be forgotten, and I could not have done this without you all.
Secondly, the wonderful teachers at this College should be recognised for their hard work and efforts throughout my Year 12.
I want to particularly recognize my Biology teacher, Mrs. name, for always being there when I needed extra help and had questions to be asked. I appreciate your efforts and dedication as a teacher, but honestly, you were more than that to me, you were a mentor, someone who I could look up to and receive professional advice from. For this, I am deeply appreciative.
I want to also thank Mr. name, my chemistry teacher, for always lighting up the mood and brining joy and enthusiasm to the classes; your humor and willingness to help should not go unseen.
Thank you to my English teacher, Ms. name, for always pushing the class beyond their limits and helping us achieve our absolute best in English. You certainly knew how to keep the classes engaging and worthwhile.
Although these three teachers stood out in my performance in 2015, many others, including Mr. Mills, Mr. name, Mrs. name, Mr. name and Mrs. name, played an important role in my achievements by constantly supporting me and believing in me.
Another aspect of my achievements lies with my friends. Everyday I looked forward to spend time with friends, and I want to specially thank *Redoxify* for making the year an unforgettable one, as we shared memories that will last a lifetime. Just remember, Year 12 only happens once, and I am forever blessed and grateful for having you beside me.
The reason that I stand here today is partially because of the aforementioned people, but the main reason lies within the fact that I had set myself goals. Throughout my two years of VCE, I set myself many goals, goals that pushed my boundaries and were unrealistic.
Two of these were to get a drivers license and get a girlfriend, but both of these did not happen. However, I am thankful for that, because I realized that sometimes in life, you will not always get everything that you desire.
But, there is a clear distinction between desire and destiny. If you truly want something, if you really want to become a professional soccer player, get drafted into the AFL, become a famous artist, a musician, the next prime minister, a doctor, or become the dux of 2016, just know that every person in your dream position was once a beginner, every person in your dream position once started from the bottom, and they worked their way to the top, whether it be 1 year or 10 years, they worked overnight, they worked while others were partying, they believed in themselves, and they did not give up. Hard work and sacrifice is the only recipe for success. If you really want something, you will go and get it.
However, sometimes, hard work and sacrifice does not always pay off, and every human is susceptible to failure. I have also experience my share in failure countless times, when I received my UMAT score in 2015, I was on the verge of confusion, an emotional breakdown and regret. But the very next day I was more motivated than I had ever been, I wanted to prove the assessors wrong, I wanted to show them that I was more valuable than the score that they threw at me.
You see, my point here is that when someone says ‘no’ to you, when someone declines you, when someone does not want to help you, ignore them for the time being, work like hell, and thank them when you make it. Because I tell you, failure is the only route to success, I have learnt more from my mistakes than I have ever learnt from my victories. If you are not stronger than your failures, then you cannot withstand the pressures of success. Success is not made for everyone, it is only made for the strong,
If you really want something, the only thing that is stopping you is time, time will go by and it will stop for no one, so make use of your time this year and make people proud of you.
Just to finish off, I want to remind all the current students, particularly the Year 12s, that we all breathe the same air, so if we all are standing on stage here today, so can you, the only difference between us and you, is time.
/Cosine out
Let me know what you think, the speech is in 2 days and I just wrote it, please tell me what I should change/edit/leave out/put in, or just tell me what you like about it?
Thank you
Edit: Updated the speech!
Home
Help
Search
Login
