Meet our 2022 College Leaders

Towards the end of last year, we had the opportunity to sit down with our incoming student leaders to ask about their thoughts and hopes for their final year at the College.  Here’s what they each had to say about their captaincy goals for 2022.

What one thing do you want to achieve in 2022 in your captaincy role?

“My goal is to reach out to every student and encourage them to participate in College life. If every student completes one challenge, participates in one activity or sport, or joins one club, they will have enriched their lives and contributed to the continual development of our College community” – Lachlan Kemp, 2022 College Captain

“I would like to help our prefects to carry out their goals for 2022 to the best of their abilities. I think that if they can reach their own goals as prefects, we can collectively perform our role as seniors and it is through this that I hope to fulfil my role as College Captain” – Emma Tran, 2022 College Captain

“Strengthening the community of St John’s. While we all have our own individual social groups, I believe that it would be more beneficial if we could strengthen the bond between students and truly work together as one College” – Natasha Tattersall, 2022 College Vice-Captain

“I want to encourage more students to actively participate in the school’s extracurricular program. I know lots of students who would benefit, like I have, from the multitude of clubs and activities on offer at St John’s” – James Tindale, 2022 College Vice-Captain

At the end of 2022, how do you wish to be remembered?

“I’d like to be remembered as a leader who made everyone feel special and included, and as someone who was always approachable and available to talk” – Lachlan

“If I’m remembered by someone for a single conversation I had with them or smiling at them as I walked by, that would mean the world to me” – Emma

“At the end of my leadership position, I hope to be remembered as someone who made a valuable change to St John’s. I hope that I can make an impact strong enough that it continues at the College after I graduate” – Natasha

“I want to be remembered as someone who puts themself forward for a number of things around the College. Someone who can be seen participating in a wide range of initiatives and hopefully inspiring others to do the same” – James

What do you think are the most important qualities of an effective leader?

“It’s said that a leader goes first and leads by example so that others are motivated to follow them. I believe a good leader is someone who can inspire, guide and enable others to be their best through trust and respect” – Lachlan

“The desire to learn supports growth because it allows us to push past boundaries in hopes of understanding the world around us and our willingness to serve cultivates communities and gives way to collective success” – Emma

“Being a good communicator and supporting other leaders. With these qualities, a leadership team will be able to work efficiently together, as well as enjoy the role of being a leader” – Natasha

“In my personal opinion, the most important qualities in a leader are those of effective communication and understanding. I believe a good leader is also a good team player” – James

What advice would you give an aspiring student leader?

“Take opportunities, volunteer, say yes, learn new skills, talk to people, help others, be thankful and start every day with a positive thought” – Lachlan

“Realise that you are supported by a community that wants to see you succeed. I think that this is something they should always keep in mind because this will allow them to strive, with confidence, to be the leaders of tomorrow” – Emma

“Create a balance between schoolwork, leadership and personal time. Planning out everything in a diary can help prevent the workload from becoming overwhelming. Communicate with the other leaders and divide the work equally” – Natasha

“Don’t be afraid to put in the hard work and ask for help when needed. Life gets difficult at times and you can’t always tackle every problem by yourself. It takes lots of work and support from those around you to find great success” – James