2025 COLLEGE DUX
DUX SPEECH
EVIE OLDHAM
Good afternoon, Mr Kluske, staff, students, and families.
I feel incredibly honoured and, honestly, a little emotional to be standing here today as the 2025 College Dux.
When I think back on my schooling journey from Years 7 to 11, I always remember sitting in the audience listening to Dux speeches, feeling motivated and inspired, and thinking how amazing the person standing at the front must feel. But if I’m being completely honest, I never truly imagined that one day it would be me standing here. However, that didn’t stop me from being determined to work hard.
From the beginning of my VCE journey, right up until walking into my final exam, I repeatedly told myself one thing: work as hard as you can so you have no regrets.
Even on 10 December, the day before receiving my ATAR, I genuinely had no idea what the outcome would be. But what I did know was that I couldn’t have tried any harder.
For me, working hard didn’t mean studying 24/7 until I went completely insane. It meant having an effective and sustainable balance. This involved always putting school first, but still making time for social gatherings on weekends, local and Sunraysia netball, and spending time with the people I love. Because of this, I’m so lucky to say that Year 12 was not a horrible year for me. I had so much fun and made some of my favourite memories: from eighteenth birthdays to our Year 12 retreat in Anglesea, laughter and chats in the common room, and the endless fun on celebration days towards the end of the year.
However, don’t let that fool you into thinking it was all parties and fun. The result I achieved did not come from simply socialising and enjoying myself. It came from consistent effort, discipline, and a lot of persistence. These three qualities are so important throughout VCE, because those years are far from relaxing or smooth sailing.
Persistence, in particular, was massive for me. During Year 11, while completing an accelerated Year 12 subject, I suffered a major concussion just one week before my exams. I spent time travelling between multiple hospitals for emergency care and walked into those exams with vision out of only one eye. During that week, I struggled to even study at all, and that was okay because the consistent effort I had put in throughout the entire year meant that last-minute cramming didn’t matter. In that moment, it highlighted persistence, effort, and dedication were more important than ever.
But these qualities aren’t just essential for students, they’re essential for our teachers too.
- Miss Cavallo and Mr Ficarra, the hours you spent supporting me during that horrible concussion week meant more than I can put into words. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
- Miss Anderson and Miss Fox, the dynamic psychology duo, thank you for every Wednesday morning and every extra minute spent answering my endless questions. I’m so grateful to you both.
- Ms Cappola and the entire English cohort, thank you for the countless essays you marked and the feedback you gave, helping me grow from having little confidence in English to achieving an over 40 study score.
- And last, but certainly not least, Miss Roberts, or as many of us call you, our 'school mum'. I absolutely loved learning Health and Human Development. Like you, I also believe it should be a compulsory subject, and that was largely because of how enjoyable you made every lesson. Thank you so much.
I’m also incredibly grateful for the wider staff at our college, including my other teachers throughout all my schooling who supported us throughout the years in ways that often went unseen. Particularly my homeroom teacher, Mrs Morrison, who was always there for me.
And continuing on from the topic of unseen heroes at our school, I would genuinely like to thank Mrs Aston and Miss Higgins, who are the ones that make so many special days possible – from Debs to Mother’s and Father’s Day, and other celebration days.
Extending on from this, I would also like to thank the office, canteen, and maintenance staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support and make these incredible days possible. Thank you all so much.
I would further like to thank Mr Kluske, Mr McClaer and Mrs Birnie for supporting me and the rest of the Captains throughout our leadership journey, where we have learned valuable skills that we will carry with us for life.
I also want to thank my brothers for being two of my best friends. Even though you didn’t live locally this year, you were always just a phone call away, offering constant support. Watching you both achieve so highly in previous years, inspired me to push myself and strive to achieve my best as well.
But most of all, I want to thank my Mum and Dad. You drove me to school early every morning so I could be the first one seated and ready to study, helped me stay organised, and gave me endless emotional support, even during exam season when I probably wasn’t the nicest daughter to be around. Thank you both so much.
Finally, I want to leave you with the most important lesson I learnt throughout my VCE journey, one that I believe matters more than any lesson scheduled on your timetable. Instead of only focusing on the grades you achieve or the numbers on a piece of paper, focus on the person you are while achieving them.
You never truly know what someone else is carrying, and choosing to support someone through what could be the toughest time of their life matters more than we realise.
Choose to be selfless, kind, and empathetic. Choose to smile at others, even if you don’t know them. Choose to work hard in a way that motivates those around you. Choose to be a helping hand or someone people feel comfortable talking to.
I hope I’m not remembered simply as the girl who was Dux or achieved the highest ATAR, but as someone who worked relentlessly for her results while staying grounded, showing kindness, helping others, and always leading with empathy.
Thank you all for your time today, and best of luck to those beginning or continuing their VCE journey. And remember, always believe in yourself and be kind to one another.
