Chase Your Dreams
Music Captain Belis leads the way, showing us what's possible with a little grit and determination.
Each week, our student leaders share their insights with their peers in Assembly.
“As the 2022/2023 Choral Captain, I am, unapologetically, a music fanatic. More often than not, music is my life, and my life is music. But to be honest, this passion didn’t just develop overnight.
Sometimes, passion is something that includes a few challenges along the way.
I will never forget how I didn’t get in the first time I auditioned for Petite Voices in Year 4 or those few terrible Australian Music Examinations Board grades.
It just shows that without persistence, I would not have experienced some of my most treasured moments. These include singing in the Sydney Children’s Choir, Philharmonia Choirs, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the reopening of the Opera House last year or the incredible work experience I did with Opera Australia last month.
What I’m trying to say is that full-circle moments like these remind us of just how far we can go if we try. If I hadn’t re-auditioned for Petite Voices the following year, had singing lessons, and endeavoured to take my passion further beyond school, I would never have discovered just how much joy and excitement performing brings me and those I surround myself with. The moral of the story is just by being resilient and persisting in the things we love doing, we can achieve so much more than we ever imagined we could.
You might think that was just a long-winded way of saying follow your dreams, but I think this generic phrase doesn’t really cut it, I think Walt Disney words it slightly better, ‘All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them’. I would take this one step further and say that the word ‘dream’ doesn’t quite cut it either. We shouldn’t keep these visions locked in our daydreams, I encourage you to put any dreams you may have into action and endeavour to achieve them in real life.
However, it is important to remember there are also many opportunities we may not particularly enjoy doing or don’t think we have the courage to pursue.
For example:
- My job: anyone who knows me, knows how much I seem to hate working at my local supermarket. There’s nothing worse than being yelled at about the price of vegetables after a long day at school. But, if it weren’t for my job, I would never have received the customer service experience that I can now use to my advantage for the rest of my life, as well as having made many good friends from other walks of life.
- This speech: when it came to delivering this speech, initially, I was scared out of my mind. Yes, I love singing in front of people, but I don’t love speaking. In fact, one of the reasons I signed up for this was because my mum said, ‘come on Belis, it’ll do you good’. I am not going to lie, writing this speech required much valuable self-reflection, and I assure you moments like these, where we are given a chance to express ourselves in front of an audience, are invaluable. We must embrace them and never take them for granted.
So, whether you are new to 韩国AV this year or not, or even for the Class of 2023, soon to embark on a journey into the wider world, my advice is to be resilient, persistent, and put your ‘hands in’.
I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how opening just one door can lead to so many more.”