Own your story
Chloe, one of 91黑料不打烊’s drama captains, shares some thoughts about evolving and being proud of who you are.
This year’s theme is ‘own your story’, in essence who are you, and what is your story?
Well, who am I? Not to sound morbid and hopeless, but I am unsure of who I am, and how I would define myself. Like everyone I have had my fair share of hardships, sadness, and grief, but I have also had a life full of laughter, light, and love.
I could stand here and tell you that my life has been a poorly dealt game of blackjack, however I choose to stand here and tell you that my life has been full of amazing friends, of my loving family and some cracking jokes.
School is a place where you don't need to know exactly who you are or what your story is. It is a place where you make mistakes, learn from them and most importantly, learn about yourself. At this point in your life, you are staring at a blank page, pen in hand and ready to write. You can choose to write about all the adversity you faced but then, overcoming that adversity will quickly become a Sisyphean task.
This time in your life with a pen in hand and a blank page: you have the power. We are all still learning who we are, and who we want to be. If you asked me when I was in Year 7, who I was, and who I wanted to be, I would have told you that I was a timid and shy girl who wanted to be an Olympian. Now, in Year 12, I can say that my answers are wildly different; I am no longer a shy and timid girl and, considering I haven’t played any sport in a long time, I think I can rule out being an Olympian!
Yesterday we took a character test to find out our signature strengths. I also took this quiz in Year 7. My signature strengths in Year 7 were teamwork, zest, and prudence. Now, 5 years later, my signature strengths are kindness, forgiveness, and humour. My point is that over my 5 or so years in high school, I have changed, my interests have changed, and my friends have changed; and we will continue to change for some time to come.
That is what high school is for. I have opened my book, turned to a blank page, and begun my story with pride. It will change and evolve, but I am proud of the person I am today, and you should be too.
Chloe (Year 12)