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Valedictory Speech 2023
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.
Shaping a Life
Dear VLCS Administration,
We are writing to express our sincerest gratitude to the dedicated and caring advisers at VLCS who have played a critical role in shaping Akhira’s life and character. As my family and I have recently moved to Canada, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the valuable experiences and lessons learned at VLCS.
We would like to thank Ms. Rika and Mrs. Chin for their unwavering guidance and support throughout our son’s childhood. Their dedication to molding him into a better person in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is genuinely admirable, and we will always be grateful for their impact on his life.
We would also like to thank Mrs. Lim and Mrs. Boey for their support during our child’s last battle in both Badminton and Scrapbook competitions in the recent RSC in Kota Kinabalu. Their encouragement and support have been invaluable and helped him reach his full potential and bring honor to the school.
Lastly, we would like to thank all the teachers who have trusted and loved him, Mrs. Ranee Quirey, Mr. Joel, and Mr. Karlo. Their dedication to teaching and mentoring has not gone unnoticed; our child has grown so much under their guidance.
We will always treasure the memories and lessons learned at VLCS and will always be grateful for its positive impact on our lives. We sincerely wish the school and all the staff continued success and growth.
In Christ,
Mr. & Mrs. R.
A Different Spirit
Dear Mrs Boey,
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mrs Joanne, Ms. Rita and Ms. Marilyn for shepherding Isaac and helping him grow. The heart of these 3 ladies for their children in class is just amazing. They are so full of love and encouragement.
Victory Life has a different spirit. I remember picking Isaac up in the initial months and the Lord impressing upon me that this place is where David’s mighty army is formed.
Isaac joined Victory Life in July 2022, and in less than 8 months we have witnessed countless breakthroughs. Glory to Jesus indeed!
Here is a glimpse of some of the many breakthroughs:
1. He used to have a meltdown whenever he was presented with a gift. He has now overcome this fear.
2. He used to have a huge fear of public speaking and would never do so. He was given the opportunity to lead the whole school in a declaration a few months after starting school.
3. He could hardly draw a straight line with a ruler despite many occupational therapy sessions. Within the first few weeks in VLCS, he was drawing lines in his PACEs with a ruler!
4. He used to have so much fear and would freeze whenever he was presented with something new. Now he is open to new experiences, new food, and new places. Even when he is not ready, he is in a much better place and can communicate his concerns better.
5. He used to be in his own world, and we had to put his homework in front of him before he would even start doing it. Even then, someone needed to sit beside him to ensure it was done. Today, he sets his goals through the goal card, is accountable to do his work, marks his own work, and can tell us the number of pages he did in school each day.
These improvements have greatly improved the quality of our lives. Even this, we know it’s just the beginning of a great restorative work that the Lord is doing in him.
We are so grateful that his supervisors have given him the gift of no condemnation, and believing in him. As such, Isaac has grown more confident. He enjoys going to school every day. Previously, going to school was a daily struggle. He has also started making friends in his class – something that he has not managed to do for years. We are grateful to kind and patient friends like Nathan and Go who have gone the extra mile to befriend him.
Isaac loves his supervisors who are “firm and fair”, in his exact words. Ms. Rita has put in a lot of effort to keep Isaac “in order”. Isaac’s goal in 2023 is to behave well so that he will not get into trouble with Ms. Rita. He says this with much love and appreciation because he can sense all their hearts.
Thank you so much for everything. I pray that the Lord will continue to give you and all the staff the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him. As all of you hope in the Lord, He shall renew your strength and equip you for every good work you are doing. He shall prosper the works of your hands.
Best regards,
Jovi (Isaac’s mother)
