Captains Recognised as Future Leaders
Our 2017 School Captain, Mackenzie Leyden and Vice-Captain, Georgie Sitch joined more than 160 other recognised student leaders from across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States at the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australia’s girls-only Student Leadership Conference earlier this month.
Held at Bond University, the group of selected girls are honing their leadership skills and networking with other young leaders across the world.
School Captain, Mackenzie said the Conference has encouraged her to be willing to take risks, “the Conference really explored how to think outside the box and not be afraid of failing in the process. I am excited to implement this attitude throughout the year, and hopefully play an important role in creating an exciting and unique year for the entire School.”
“Over the course of the four day Conference, we took part in various workshops which focused on public speaking, communication, negotiation, personal brand, teamwork and goal setting, which all helped build on our individual skill sets. However, the most valuable lesson that I have taken away from the Conference is to be confident in my own ability to lead. We were encouraged to combat our fears in order to display servant leadership, and to take risks in our personal leadership,” Mackenzie says.
Vice Captain, Georgie Sitch said the highlight of the Conference for her was hearing a presentations from Tracey Vieira, the CEO of Screen Queensland, at a dinner attended by school principals or their representatives. “Vieira highlighted an issue that struck a particular chord with me. She spoke about how, historically, women have made their way to the top by out competing other women. We now find ourselves at a generational crossroad where females must find success through mutual support, reinforcement and ‘pulling one another up’ the corporate ladder. Reflecting on this later, I was happy to realise that in our smaller school context this theory is already a reality.”
Both students agree the opportunity to meet like minded students from across Australia and the world was a wonderful learning and networking experience. “There was a certain buzz and excitement as everyone sought to learn and understand more about each other’s aspirations and directions for the year ahead. Mackenzie and I arrived home inspired and full of ideas to implement this year,” explains Georgie.
“Georgie and I were able to bond with a myriad of young leaders, and in the process learn from their experiences in order to prepare for the year ahead. Furthermore, in addition to our current strong support network at St Catherine’s, we now have a plethora of contacts whom we can reach out to at any time, and it is truly a privilege to be friends with such an incredible group of girls,” Mackenzie says.
To learn more about our 2017 Student Leaders click here.
