If you’ d like to hear more about our‘ What is success’ series, keep an eye on Scotch socials!
NEWS
When asked about his motivation in becoming School Captain, Emmanuel was quick to share how it came from a“ sense of feeling that you owe something, in a good way, because you’ ve been provided with so much, in terms of experience, at Scotch. I felt like it would be a great way to give back by serving the school”.
This desire to give back is also reflected in Conor’ s own approach to leadership.“ It took me a few years to settle down and to really find my place, but I managed to do that by getting involved in as many things as I could. Eventually I found the things that really called to me: running, music, debating, and that has culminated in my role this year”, he said,“ I have really tried to embody the values that I want to see in the school, like empathy and doing the little things that go a long way.”
This sense of self-awareness and leadership also shaped their views on personal success.
“ I think personal success is achieving your goals, but also on a broader note, just improving on whatever you’ re doing now, as well as improving your personality; so for example, how you portray yourself and what do you actually do at school,” Emmanual shared.
Emmanuel’ s experience as school captain has visibly enabled him to take some insightful, critical distance when explaining his golden rule:“ Your attitude towards things doesn’ t have to necessarily be visible from the outside, rather it comes from the inside.”
The two captains clearly agree that success isn’ t just about what others can see.
“ I think on a personal level there are two types of success,” Conor says,“ the first one comes with achieving goals, which is such a rich feeling because they are not necessarily glorious world-bending achievements but reward for hard work. A successful life is when someone is really hitting their stride doing something that they love and bringing something meaningful to the world.”
The conversation then turned to the idea of a symbiotic relationship— where one person’ s success can come from helping others succeed, and in turn, being lifted by them as well.
“ A community should both support and uplift members and I think this was exemplified a few weeks ago when I was watching [ supporters at ] the Head of The River,” Conor shared.
“ The Year 7 Camp was a big showcase of success in terms of what Scotch tries to do by providing boys with the‘ Scotch at Cowes’ program,” he said.“ I went to a cricket training a couple of weeks before the first set of boys went on camp and it was really quiet. There was a sense of awkwardness because they didn’ t know each other’ s names, but then, when I came back to another cricket training session a couple of weeks later, the same boys were very loud, filled with excitement and talking to each other, and I think that is success.”
“
For those individuals who performed really well, achieving 99.95 ATAR scores, I’ m just thinking about all the times I’ ve seen them around working together, helping each other out, staying after hours and keeping each other accountable.
”
A quick glance around the captains’ office reveals a whiteboard filled with contributions from students across all year levels. Emmanuel reflected on how his personal success in English Language last year was supported by guidance from Old Boys, and how the broader academic success of the cohort came from a strong culture of sharing.
“ For those individuals who performed really well, achieving 99.95 ATAR scores, I’ m just thinking about all the times I’ ve seen them around working together, helping each other out, staying after hours and keeping each other accountable,” he said, and I think the other pillar of academic success is really the quality of teachers. I’ ve had so many teachers who really inspired me with their drive and passion.
It’ s clear that both captains have a strong sense of direction and care deeply about the school. Their articulate and well-considered reflections demonstrate not just their own character, but also the kind of environment Scotch fosters— one that encourages leadership, kindness and a sense of giving back. With students like these helping to lead the way, we are most certainly in good hands.
Emmanuel also witnessed a clear example of this kind of collaborative success earlier in the year.
13