Address delivered by Filipino student Ellayne Garcia at Hampton Park Secondary School where she the got highest VCE score among students. Her VCE score was 95.6.
To the Principal, Mr Finnerty, the assistant principals, teachers and staff, my fellow students and to the parents and guests, Good Evening to you all.
Just like others, I was just a typical Year 12 student. I was studying, doing homework, constantly being worried on scores, 
SACs, the courses and career paths. But today, all of us Year 12s have been granted that opportunity to finally decide for ourselves, what we want for the future. Here I am, standing in front of you all, privileged to speak on behalf of my fellow students, how grateful we are to our families, to our teachers and the staff and to our friends. And all of this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for your continuous support and hard work.
To my family, thank you for always being there for me, especially during the hard times of adjusting here in Australia. It was already hard to balance my life as a teenager, as a student, as a child, and as an immigrant. That’s why I want to appreciate the sacrifices my family has done for me.
To the parents, I wish you all the best and please continue to support your children because I genuinely think you have the greatest potential to push them towards their future and bring the best out of them.
I also want to acknowledge the teachers and staff who have patiently guided us students through our high school, and mostly for treating us like one of your family. Your strict rules in classes, your constant reminders to us to be role-models to younger years, even the detentions will be missed. Not only that, but these actions are what helped shape us as grown-ups and helped create an environment for us to learn. You all have taught us not just the things to memorise or the theories or maths. But more importantly, you have taught us how to be responsible for ourselves and for our actions. Thank you for making our High School lives one memorable stepping stone in our lives. We will forever carry with us the values of Respect, Learning and Working Together. I hope that you would continue to be proud of us, even in the future.
To my fellow students of Hampton Park, I know that studying is hard. And we are all struggling to achieve high scores and keep up to our own expectations. Not all of us may be gifted with exceptional abilities to understand everything, but that doesn’t make us less special of a person. Acknowledge yourselves as young professionals in the making, a diamond in the rough. Pursue what you’re passionate about. Moreover, enjoy learning. It’s not all about trying to be perfect or memorising or grades and scores. It’s more about understanding more about yourselves and what you want to do. Find the “fun” in studying.
As most of the people would advise, ATAR is just a number. It does not justify to a student’s worth in life. Whatever you get will open doors of opportunities. And it is up to you which door to take. No matter what happens, keep working hard and enjoy school as much as you can. Life always surprises us with things we need and we deserve.
I hope that we can all continue to aim for greater goals for ourselves, for Hampton Park Secondary College and for the future. How hard we try can never guarantee us 100% results, but if we try our best, persevere and enjoy what we are doing, then we would be one step closer to achieving our dreams.
Thank You and Have a Great Night.
