Congratulations to Annabel on her recent Distinguished Academic Achiever Award at the Premier’s QCE Student Awards – an outstanding achievement and so richly deserved. We are incredibly proud of Annabel and equally proud to have her as one of our Academic Mentors this year, generously sharing her insight and experience to inspire and support our students.

We also wish to share the speech that Annabel gave to all students at our recent Scholars' Assembly. It was a powerful message for our students to hear.

It is an honour to stand before you as Mount Alvernia’s 2025 College Dux. Returning just a few months after graduating Year 12 feels a little surreal, this time it’s without the tie and impending pressure of exams.

Some might expect that I’d focus on the importance of academic success, however, my main objective is to share some pieces of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way, many of which have shaped my journey and brought me to this moment with you all today.

In the true Mount Alvernian spirit, I would like to bring your attention to this year’s theme of courage. Courage, as I’ve learned, is not confined to those grand, defining moments – although it is often shown in those times – but rather, in the small, everyday actions that often seem insignificant, but are the actions that contributed to my success at Mount A.

Whilst I didn’t always – and still don’t – know exactly where I will be in the future, my time at Mount Alvernia has taught me the importance of moving forward with purpose. It is this sense of direction that has guided my actions and helped me overcome challenges along the way. By direction, I do not mean the absence of uncertainty, but rather, a sense of aspiration: something that motivates progress. This might be a favourite subject, an emerging interest, an academic goal, or any personal aim you’re pursuing.

Once you’re clear on the direction you’re headed, courage can be the driving force which transforms it into action. More specifically, I refer to courage as the willingness to face, and to sit with, discomfort. I know how tempting it can be to take the easy route, to sit in class, convincing yourself you’ll work it out later rather than asking that question or seeking help. Whilst raising your hand can feel like a very public display of confusion, in my experience, it is far less painful than trying to send that last-minute email the day before the due date, and pretending to understand rarely works in the long-term. I would also like to emphasise that discomfort is not solely limited to learning in a classroom setting, but also from putting yourself forward or stepping into the unknown. For me, this spanned from my short-lived musical career playing the bass guitar on this very stage, to addressing the same wonderful college as a brand-new alumna. Whilst first attributed to Franklin. D. Roosevelt, but perhaps more relevantly to us, Prince Phillipe of the Princess Diaries, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear.”

The courage to step out of one’s comfort zone is an important beginning step, however resilience becomes essential when things don’t go to plan. That is, resilience is developed through moments of disappointment that make us readjust and refocus.

For me, that lesson hit home after a particular Year 11 Physics Student Experiment didn’t go exactly to plan – I really thought the world was ending when I didn’t get the mark I was hoping for. Whilst my ego was certainly bruised, and I made a sizeable contribution to Miss Philp’s “cup of Physics Students’ tears”, it was an important reminder that setbacks teach you just as much as success can. Not only did the Earth keep spinning, but I learned to take feedback as constructive rather than personal, and, for the physics students, my catastrophe was negligible from the frame of reference of an outside observer.

To be consistent is courageous in its own right. Consistency – which is a mindset as well as an action – is what delivers results. It is the small, regular steps that may seem insignificant in the moment: that extra 15 minutes of study, the additional reading, that final equation, little things that might only take a small amount of time, but have a compounding effect on your education, which makes progress inevitable.

For me, this took the form of a daily routine, where my scheduled study time was non-negotiable. To start with some concrete examples of how I maintained this, I would lock my phone during study blocks with the Flora app, have designated study snacks consisting of tea and bickies, and I would listen to non-distracting music when needed, which solidified my routine. Needless to say, I’m now classically conditioned to study – and will forever associate Mozart with organic reaction pathways.

Of course, consistency isn’t just important for study, but can apply to any goal in life. Whilst the concept is built on individual effort, it is made infinitely easier with a support network. My homeroom teacher Miss Heath became an inspiration, celebrating my victories and helping me maintain focus and perspective – and each of my subject teachers guided my learning every step of the way. My family and fellow peers provided support and encouragement particularly during the intensive slog of external exams.

To bring it back to my main point – it is courageous in and of itself to seek support when needed, and in my experience, Mount A was a safe space to do so.

As I reflect on my own journey, the lessons I’ve learned and shared today – of courage, resilience, and consistency – are also the tools for life beyond these walls.

Enjoy the year, spend time with your peers, and be consistent. Your future is waiting!

Ash Wednesday Liturgy