Commissioning Our 2022 Leaders

Head Girl, Elouise Parsons, on behalf of all the leaders, gave the following speech:

We promise to strive to lead our College in a truly Christ-like way by serving others with generosity and honesty.

Through our wholehearted effort, we will promote a positive school spirit. We will preserve and promote the Mercy tradition and support those who are struggling in life. 

We will strive to approach our studies with diligence and commitment. We will help to build a College community that is caring, loving and just. 

It is to stand before you as the 2022 Head Girl and to lead all SRC and SLC leaders today in their commitment to serve this community with integrity, generosity, diligence and good humour. 

We are mindful of the shoulders we stand on, of strong young women who have gone before us, who said ‘yes’ to leadership and we are grateful for the experience and wisdom they have shared with us.

We are also appreciative of the support and encouragement of our families, and we thank them for being here today and journeying with us over the next year.  We will no doubt seek your guidance as we navigate the road ahead. 

Our Mercy Heritage is enduring, and we have much to learn from the early Sisters who paved the way in modelling resilient, resourceful and community-based leadership.  Their strength was their ability to be in a good relationship with the community they served.  A lesson for all of us. 

It is our role to make sense and meaning of what it is to be a Santa Maria College student in 2022.  To tackle the challenges put before us, to give generously of our time and resources to those in need, to attend to our studies with dedication and commitment, to build good relationships with our teachers and with each other. 

The year ahead will offer many opportunities and my advice to you is to grab those opportunities wholeheartedly and make a difference in this community, shape it and leave it better for those who follow in your footsteps.  

I would like to end by sharing with you a quote from Michelle Obama that reminds me of the importance of our commitment to leadership: “If I make a commitment, I stand by that commitment and try to make it real.  Because when we become leaders the most important thing we have is our word and our trust.  That’s where respect comes from.”