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Jake Vernon-Elliot and Indigo Neville have stepped into the Head Boy and Head Girl leadership positions for 2017/2018. Get to know Jake and Indigo a bit more and read about their goals for the coming year.

What’s your passion in life?

Indi: One of my biggest passions is helping to resolve some of the inequalities experienced overseas. My ambition is that after school I will complete a degree in Communications and be able to start to affect change in third world countries permanently. There’s an Oxfam article that states, "In 2015, just 62 individuals had the same wealth as 3.6 billion people – the bottom half of humanity.” This just boggles my mind and really inspires me to make some sort of a difference.

On a smaller scale though, my day-to-day passions are quite different and more personal. I love interior designing and playing around with different colour tones, fabrics and layouts, which is really nice to get into when I want to have a break from schoolwork or studying.

Jake: Like Indi, I also have a passion for helping people, whether it be helping those in the remote villages of Cambodia through house building, or helping people out with study for an upcoming exam. No matter how big or small the act, I find nothing more rewarding than helping someone else out.

Hopefully one day in the future, I'll be able to help sick children recover back to health in paediatrics and give them the opportunity to live a long and fulfilled life. There is something incredibly beautiful when you see the smiles of people whom you have been able to help. You don't need to be a superhero to help someone, but anything you can do will inevitably make the world a better place.

What’s your favourite subject at school?

Jake: My heart lies in E Block with the Mathematics Department. To me, there is something fascinating (particularly in Year 11 and 12 maths) about the innate world of mathematics, and how it extends to practical applications in the real world such as in science or engineering. I think what ultimately makes it my favourite subject though is the challenges it presents and the feeling when I finally master a new skill or concept. I love a good problem!

Indi: I really enjoy Extension English because it is so different to any of my other classes. It helps me to think outside the box and question my perceptions of the world because I get to look through new paradigms and explore different discourses - which I love.

Thinking creatively isn’t something that always comes naturally and it is a skill that I rarely get to work on in my other studies, so this subject is such a good outlet and avenue to express and unpack different ideas. I also enjoy how our elective 'After the Bomb' is interspersed with history. I find it so interesting to see how certain events have had such a broad and profound influence on society today.

What qualities define a leader?

Jake: Leadership is more than what you'd discover if you simply looked up "what is leadership" on the internet. Often the results of these kinds of searches bring up the buzz words such as "communication skills," "accountability," "organised," "confidence" and "optimistic." These are all qualities required by a leader; however, none of these generic character traits quite hit the nail of leadership right on the head.

As we've seen throughout history great leaders are those who have a passion and a drive to make a positive, influential change for the people and world around them. This is what real leadership is all about - having that gut instinct and fundamental purpose and drive to advocate and incite a positive change in the community around you. A forward-thinking mindset, passion to make a change and a motivation to do so is an admirable quality, and one that I think we should all aim to improve.

Indi: I believe that sometimes the most impactful leaders are those who lead in subtle ways and do what they know is right and in alignment with their core values and intuition, not what they believe will get them noticed by others. I think having integrity and honesty is so important as a leader because it allows you to not only stand up for what is right, but also collaborate with other people to bring about the change that you wish to see in the world.

What unique qualities will you bring to the role?

Jake: As a team, Indi and I have a solid set of goals, ambitions, and qualities that we'd both love to bring to the role of Head Prefects. Personally, I think that I'll bring a fun, approachable, but organised quality to the role.

Decided over numerous hot chocolates and milkshakes during the last school holidays, Indi and I both agree that we want to make the day-to-day experience at CCGS as enjoyable as possible - whether that be socially, academically or physically. We want to make school a fun place to spend the day with friends, while learning and developing into the legends of the next generation. I think that this goal will definitely be reflected in a lot of the activities and initiatives we have planned.

Indi: Jake and I both bring certain qualities to the role of Head Prefect, and each of our unique strengths compliment each others really well. I feel that I always treat others with the kindness, respect and compassion. I really believe that helping people to feel a sense of belonging and supporting others so they know that they are valued and included not only in the school community, but also in life in general is so vital and goes such a long way.

How do you overcome challenges or problems?

Jake: Life is a rollercoaster. However, what defines our time on the rickety rails and loop 'de' loops of life's journeys is the way we bounce back from challenge. When faced with a challenge I will always call on the people I care about to build a network of support - whether that be a friend, family member, or even my dogs!

Indi: My mum always tells me how life is a series of mountains and reminds me how you just have to climb each mountain as you approach it and handle one thing at a time. This helps me not get too overwhelmed if everything feels like it is going wrong because I always know that I’ll eventually reach the top of each “mountain” and things will get easier.

My mum also always reminds me that mountains are neither good nor bad and attaching negative emotions and connotations to challenges ahead cannot change the shape or height of the mountain. This helps me work through situations bit by bit. My favourite quote that I also think about when things aren’t the best is, “Today is a good day for a good day.” This inspires me to always look for the good and happy things when facing hard times. There is always a silver lining to any situation.