Life Beyond HCC – by Bhavish Naveen Kumar and Aliyah Deng
If you’ll ask any child what the most annoying question in the world is, they’ll tell you (very loudly) that it’s being asked what they want to do when they’re older. And honestly, becoming student leaders doesn’t make that question magically any easier. The truth is, even as student leaders standing at the front of the school, we don’t magically have all the answers mapped out either.
Most days, we are still figuring out how to balance assessment deadlines, keep our uniform intact, and decide what to eat the moment we get home. Some things really haven’t changed since year 7. It’s easy to see school as a place that simply prepares us for jobs as adults, but high school has a far more meaningful purpose than that.
Everyone reading this edition of the college captain’s blog knows what it feels like to stand at the edge of a new season, balancing high anticipation with a quiet touch of nervousness.
To our families, you are the steady ground beneath our feet. Long before we start thinking about life beyond these gates, you are there in the early mornings, the late‑night study check‑ins, and the quiet moments of encouragement when our self confidence wanes.
Families don’t just support an education, they actively help cultivate a whole generation of thinkers, dreamers, and virtuous human beings. You are woven directly into the very fabric of every success we celebrate today.
The way Holy Cross prepares us transcends far beyond the confines of a grade, score or certificate. It isn’t just about setting us up on a pathway that leads to a specific job or career – it’s about quietly shaping our character. Through every opportunity we have at the college to have life to the full, we carry our dignity and personal best alongside the values and principles that make us the future thinkers we already are. Holy cross prepares us in a way that can’t be written on a resume; it instills a sense of compassion, dedication and love within us that effervesce naturally as we share them with our community.
Holy Cross has truly been pivotal in preparing students for the real world. Our pathways don’t just give us knowledge – they give us confidence. Certificate students learn the ins and outs of their chosen profession, trade students master their craft with skill and pride, and Uniready and ATAR students are equipped with the tools to hit the ground running at university. Every pathway is purposeful; every student is set up to thrive beyond these gates.
And even after a student’s journey at Holy Cross, they are welcomed back with the same warmth and enthusiasm they knew as teenagers. Hearing the stories of our alumni, the different paths they’ve taken, the places they’ve gone, the futures they’ve built, reminds us that there is no single “right” way forward. Their journeys make us excited for our own, knowing that we are supported not only by our peers, but by the staff and community who continue to stand behind us.
And perhaps this is the most important lesson school has taught us: life beyond HCC isn’t a terrifying leap into the unknown, rather a gentle release of young people who carry powerful values into the world. Because no matter which pathway each of us steps into, we step into it as compassionate, courageous individuals – and that is a preparation no other life experience can teach.