Resilience: a Catalyst for Positive Change
Dealing with change or loss is an inevitable part of life. At some point, everyone experiences varying degrees of setbacks. Some of these challenges might be relatively minor, like missing the morning school bus, I know I’ve had. While others are disastrous on a much larger scale such as a global pandemic.
Although challenges can be difficult to overcome, it is crucial that we embrace difficulties to emerge as a better person because of it, instead of avoiding them.
To do this we need resilience.
Resilience is a variety of skills, coping mechanisms, and strengths to bounce back from setbacks or failures. I strongly believe resilience will push us through these times of uncertainty. And resilience will impact the key stakeholders of this new period, students: mentally, physically, academically, and spiritually.
As a child of expatriate working parents, I lived in three different continents, preventing me from cementing deep lasting friendships or establishing continuity with a set school curriculum. For many years I believed that this dynamic lifestyle has been an impediment in my life, stifling my confidence and potential. But gradually, I developed resilience to change thus began to look at obstacles as challenges to be embraced. When I joined Dulwich College in Beijing in 2017, I found myself starting over – again – with no friends and another new academic system.
I was told by my math teacher that my gap in knowledge was too large, with grades under 50% I was unlikely to pass. She suggested that I move down to the core math class, where I would focus on getting a passing grade rather than learning the full curriculum. This made me feel hopeless as I began to feel that there was a problem with my education that was too late to fix.
As I was still navigating the school and getting used to my new environment I was told by my drama teacher that I was too shy for acting, and should consider selecting another elective. This made me feel insecure as Drama used to be a passion of mine in previous schools, a creative outlet I thought I was good at. To be told to reconsider, hurt me.
I decided to apply to leadership positions to bring new ideas to the school and to understand my new environment better. Despite not knowing my new classmates, I ran for Class Representative on the Student Council. I received two votes.
I tried out for the Senior School Girls’ Varsity Basketball team. I made the cut! Some good news for once! Only to sustain a season ending hip injury that left me on crutches for months.
I think we can all agree that I had a disaster of a beginning at Dulwich. But! None of this deterred me. Instead of being a passive victim of change, I decided to take the reins and be a catalyst for positive change for myself, refusing to accept the cards that had been dealt.
After 2 years of rigorous practice and tutoring, I passed my math with an A grade, climbing 4 grade boundaries. Resilience.
After being advised to drop drama, I decided not only was I going to stay in that class I was going to audition for the Senior School Musical. I got a lead role in the musical ‘Anything Goes’ and was presented the most improved actress award. Resilience.
After spending my first year getting to understand Dulwich better I ran for student council again. Not only did I become a student representative, I eventually was bestowed the position of Health & Wellbeing Prefect during my third year. Resilience.
After recovering from my hip injury, I was placed on the Junior Varsity Team as my skills were no longer as polished as they could’ve been. Although initially I was disappointed, I set a personal goal: If I was going to be on the JV Team I was going to be the best JV Player there. I applied myself to every practice, every dribble, and every lay-up. My raw effort and relentless energy never went unnoticed, and I was chosen to fill an injury vacancy in Varsity. Amazing how that worked out! As a part of the Varsity basketball team we won first place and a sportsmanship award in the ISAC tournament. I was awarded most improved player that year. I continued to apply myself. The next year I was awarded Most Valuable Player. And this year I was chosen to be the Senior School Varsity Girls Basketball Team Captain! Resilience.
A powerful, effective catalyst for positive change, for self-improvement.
My high school career just ended a couple weeks ago, I am hoping that I can actively trigger renovation for the better through law. As my interest-based studies has helped me realize that law is the driving force for social, economic, moral and political amendments. Being a commonwealth citizen I intend to study English common law at its origin. Furthermore, I aspire to utilize what I learn to give a voice to those who don’t as a lawyer.
Now resilience is more important than ever. Currently as students, we are preparing for jobs that don’t exist yet, to use technology that hasn’t been invented yet, in order to solve problems, we don’t even know are problems yet.
According to the World Economic Forum the top 10 in demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working a completely new job that doesn’t yet exist. One can only imagine the unknowns we are facing at the dawn of a new era, post-pandemic.
I hope that after this talk you will all be inspired to not fear failure, but to use it as an opportunity to learn. To not cower away from challenges but to emerge as better people because of it.
I’ll leave you all with a quote from an inspirational woman, author, political lecturer and disability rights advocate. Who is commended for her own resilience. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it”. Helen Keller.