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Good afternoon, friends, supervisors, and parents. I’m Javine. It is an honour for me to speak to you today as the valedictorian of 2023. When I was in secondary school, I wasn’t the wisest when it came to choosing my friends, and as such I started smoking, drinking and skipping school. I had terrible grades, I was rude to my teachers, and I always found myself having a chat with the disciplinary master. Eventually, I got permanently suspended. I wasn’t allowed to attend school during curricular hours, and I was only given an hour or so to have lessons 1 to 1 with my teachers after school. I knew my life was going in the wrong direction, but I couldn’t muster up the strength to change it. So I gave up on myself. I gave up on having a proper education, a bright future, and worst of all I gave up on God and my walk with Him. However, the thought of an uncertain future haunted me. I tried running from my issues by indulging in alcohol and cigarettes, but the relief was only temporary. I became depressed, I felt that life had no meaning, and I struggled with finding my purpose here on earth.

When I joined VL in 2019, I carried the same defiant attitude with me. I was rude to my supervisors, and when I had the opportunity, I would always skip school. But there was a difference – no matter how hard I tried to convince my supervisors to give up on me and let me continue to go down my path of self-destruction, they just never seemed to lose hope. I remember the first chat Mrs Chan had with me. She was trying to get me to change my ways and give my education a second chance. It was all the things I knew were right but did not want to hear. It frustrated me and I remember swearing at her. Her response genuinely surprised me; she didn’t reprimand me nor was she upset. She told me that I may have given up on myself, but she hasn’t and neither has my mom, and if I wanted to turn my life around, she would be there and willing to help and guide me. It was this hope and belief my supervisor and mother had in me that eventually got me to rethink my life choices. So, thank you Mrs Chan for always seeing the best and believing in that lost child. Thank you, Mom, for tolerating my nonsense and bad attitudes. I apologize for all the times I was rude to you and the sleepless nights you had worrying about my future. I love you.

For all of you here who have an idea, a goal, or a dream that you have given up on because it seemed too big or because of the number of times you’ve heard, “No, it’s impossible, that’s just not realistic.” I want you to know that I believe in you, and I’ll be praying for your success. Don’t give up just yet. You never know, your next try could just be the time you succeed. I pray that in this ocean of “NO”s, my one “YES” is enough to reignite your passion and drive for your dreams. Enough for you to muster up the strength to give it one more try. I believe that all of you here will succeed – the important thing is to put God in the centre of that dream, and He will turn your dream into a reality. Thank you all for your time; have a good evening.