Good evening everyone. It has been an incredible year at the Longford and Fraser Leadership Academy.
When I first joined, I thought leadership was about making decisions and being in charge. But over this year, I’ve learned that true leadership is about listening, understanding, staying resilient and just being someone others can trust. It’s not just about telling people what to do, but about guiding them and working together to achieve something greater.
One of the most fun parts of my journey here was playing games designed to make us better leaders.
These games ranged from Trivia (such as True and False), Memory (such as Change your Name Week), as well as quick thinking games (such as Alphabucks, and my favourite game Kim Jong Un is a Dictator). These weren’t just ordinary games—they were designed to improve our prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain used for making decisions. They helped us think and act quickly, solve problems, and stay calm under pressure. And when we won, we earned prizes like lollies or chocolates, which we could sell to others with play money. This not only made the games more exciting but also introduced us to the basics of entrepreneurship—how even the smallest of rewards can be transformed into opportunities for selling and trading.
Through these activities, I learned that leadership means seeing opportunities, taking risks, and making thoughtful decisions that benefit everyone involved. I discovered that leadership isn’t just for the boardroom—it’s for every part of life. Whether it’s working together as a team in a classroom or making the right choices in our personal lives, leadership requires resilience to overcome challenges, assertiveness to stand up for what’s right, and mental strength to stay focused and calm under pressure.
I want to say a big thank you to my fellow students. We’ve had so much fun together, and we’ve learned a lot from each other. To our parents and families—thank you for your unwavering support, always, for everything I do. And to Ms. Anderson, thank you so much for guiding us, believing in us, and helping us grow into the confident, capable individuals we are today.
Good evening, and good night!