The audience I will never forget

I have been apart of many audiences in my 18 years of living. However, this one audience, this one night, had a feeling like no other. The room was filled with mixed emotions. Happiness, sadness, fear, and excitement. Knowing that we have just received our certificate for the completion of High School. The uneasy feeling of what is to come, how our futures depend on us now. This notion was running through all of us.

I loved the way our teachers and fellow peers expressed how much our 13 years of school meant though photos, videos and speeches, which brought everyone to tears.

Being apart of the audience, sitting and observing rows and rows of my friends, I felt the energy of each individual student as we accepted a new chapter of life.

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

- Steve Jobs. Stanford, 2005.

The past few years have been hard. The COVID-19 pandemic was nothing but a wrestle with humanity. Trying to complete our final year and HSC , with this leech stuck to our foot, taking away our blood filled with opportunities and encounters we may never get to experience, from when they were once considered 'normal'. This pandemic was the only topic spoken about in any individuals conversation for 3 years. It over took the media, (was a bad time if you were Kim Kardashian trying to be the top of conversations by having her 4th child Psalm through another surrogate). It's safe to say the class of 2021 had it the roughest. Many mental breakdowns later, and somehow we still made it. We still did what we thought was the impossible. We did it.

There were absolutely no negatives in this event as it was an experience I will never forget. It was a true eye opener to realise how the world is now in my hands. I honestly have never felt so whole, the ambience of the room made everyone feel at ease because we all knew we weren't alone in what we were feeling. Knowing that a whole audience was experiencing the same rush of emotions was one of the biggest things I have taken away from that night.

Being apart of an audience, is to connect with the people around you. To immerse yourself in the same experience as everyone. To sing, dance, celebrate, no matter what the occasion, it truly is a special moment. A moment you are sharing with people you may know, or complete strangers. I wouldn't of shared this moment with anyone else other than the class of De La Salle Cronulla 2021.

Ella Mackenzie. (2021). As a Year 12 student, I know this year's HSC exams won't be fair. ATARs will reflect pandemic privilege. Available: https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/as-a-year-12-student-im-concerned-about-this-years-hsc-pandemi/13530368 . Last accessed 12/03.