Try, Fail, Rise
As the 2024-2025 Prefects prepare to pass the baton of leadership, Mischa, Senior College Prefect, reflects on resilience and the power of persistence through personal challenges.
Each week, our student leaders share their insights with their peers in Assembly.
From an early age, I've always been determined to do things my way. This stubborn resolve carried through to my childhood as I confidently took charge, making it clear I had strong opinions about how things should be done. Although my leadership style has evolved considerably since then, the drive and ambition have never wavered.
It's hard to believe it has been a year since we established our Prefect initiative ‘No Grit. No Pearl’, and now, like all good things, it is coming to an end as it is time to pass on this privilege. Throughout the past year, No Grit, No Pearl has provided me quiet strength as I have learnt to enjoy the journey, rather than anticipate the reward. And no other area has been tested more than my driving abilities.
Test 1: I was ready. It was my 17th birthday, and I was determined to make this my day. Everything was going perfectly. I didn't even falter when, to my horror, the music suddenly began blasting 'If Only' from Descendants, completely unprompted. There was one minute left as we were travelling down the road, back to Service NSW, when a car abruptly pulled onto the road. The instructor screamed: "STOP!" and just like that — immediate fail.
Test 2: Never in my life had I been so nervous. I tried to compose myself as I pulled out of my parking spot yet, one minute later, I found myself and the car up against the wall of the parking lot as I had apparently miscalculated the available room. Immediate fail.
Test 3: Bin day. Everything was going fine until I turned onto a street and found myself facing off with a garbage truck. He gestured me through, leading me to ever so slightly graze the side of a bin. Immediate fail.
Test 4: This was it, I could feel it. I was driving perfectly, ensuring I was calm and slow. Too slow, as wariness has its limits. Fail.
Test 5: I had missed three turns, was ready to vomit and had already accepted in my head that I was just not meant to drive. Until I saw it. My pearl. My instructor reluctantly handed over my Ps, leaving me ready to conquer the world.
Despite my newfound freedom, this did, however, lead to me crashing two weeks later, resulting in a total write off of the car. Although, I am currently 200 days crash free, $1,500 in debt, and living proof that growth rarely comes easy…
I promise, my leadership style has been far more consistent than my driving has. This journey has encouraged my resilience and perseverance as I never gave into the voice in the back of my mind that told me to give up.
No Grit, No Pearl isn't just about enduring struggle; it’s about embracing it. Because every challenge, setback and failure shape the leader and person you are becoming. It doesn't matter if you struggle at first, or if you continue to face obstacles. Because you only ever really fail if you stop trying. It is about how you rise, persist and refuse to let defeat define you. Because in the end that is all we have the ability to do. Try. And sometimes, that alone is what sets us apart.
This is an edited version of Mischa’s Assembly speech.