May 2026
In her speech, Eva (K) reflects on how her five years at Bradfield have transformed her from a shy Faulkner’s pupil into a confident young adult, who is able to speak publicly and embrace her individuality. She explains that while academic and sporting success matter, the most valuable lessons had come outside the classroom through teamwork, resilience, leadership and learning to ask for help. Eva also shares how she overcame challenges linked to anxiety, ADHD and being mixed race, using these experiences to lead EDI initiatives and raise awareness of diversity issues within the school community. Ultimately, she credits Bradfield’s supportive environment for helping her grow into someone her younger self would admire.
Good morning, I’m Eva, and I’m coming to the end of my final year here at Bradfield.
If you had told me in Year 9 that I would be giving this speech in front of an audience of this size, I would have laughed and then seriously freaked out. The version of me who joined Bradfield was the last person who would be willing to do something like this, but 5 years later here I am. Sitting down to write this speech made me realise how much I’ve changed and grown and learned over the last five years and I thought I’d share this aspect of my journey with you today.
When I joined, I was this very shy little girl who didn’t think there was much more to school life than good grades and sport, but over the last few years I’ve realised that this isn’t the case. Of course, the teachers and coaches want you to do your absolute best, and they do whatever they can to help us in that way. No offence to the teachers, but I’ve realised that the most important learning happens outside the classroom, and I think Bradfield understands that. I didn’t really get the idea of Education for Life that we have here until more recently, but it really is true. We’re completely immersed in school life and different situations here and we learn: how to be part of a team, navigating through hard times, making mistakes, how to ask for help. These, and many more, are lessons that we all have the opportunity to learn, and I’m sure we will take with us beyond Bradfield.
In my first couple of years, I tried to blend in and hide things like being mixed race and having ADHD and anxiety that made me feel different to other people. But over the last couple of years here, I’ve learnt to make my differences assets instead of obstacles, and use my experiences and perspectives to make change. A really big part of my journey has been my work with EDI. At my last school, I was the only person of colour in my year, and I remember being so nervous that the same thing would happen when I got here. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case, but I did notice that not a lot of people knew about important events and issues, like Juneteenth, or what microagressions are, and I really wanted to raise awareness of these kinds of issues. For example, in Faulkners I wanted to do something for Martin Luther King Day, but no one around me seemed to know who he was or why he was so important. When I went to my housemistress, I was encouraged to take my own action, rather than wait for someone to do it for me. At this point, I was still a very shy and nervous person, and I was terrified of coming up with my own idea and leading something myself. But I managed to organise for Faulkners to go on a walk around school (during prep, so I think everyone was up for it) and gave a talk in front of Faulkners to commemorate MLK. Since then, this has led to me doing assemblies during Black history month every year to all year groups on topics like Ruby Bridges and Black Joy. I’ve also brought RIDE society here (a diversity society I started at the end of my last school), joined the EDI committee in year 11, and eventually became an EDI prefect here this year. I’m so grateful that I was pushed out of my comfort zone a little, because without it, I’m sure I wouldn’t have the same level of confidence I do now, not just in public speaking, but in my day-to-day life too.
Of course, there have been challenges, times when I’ve felt frustrated, or stressed, and been in uncomfortable situations where I didn’t know what to do. But we have this amazing, friendly support system of HsMs, teaches, friends, the talking therapies team, and even the lollipop men Phil and Steve are great people to have a chat with during the day. There are smiling faces everywhere you look here, and always someone to help you feel better when you’re struggling or just having a bad day, and I think that’s a huge part of what makes Bradfield Bradfield.
What made me pick Bradfield was the fact that my mum came here about 25 years ago. (She was even in the same house as me.) While I was writing this speech, I asked her what her experience of Bradfield was like, and our conversation showed me that, even though we were quite different people, and had different experiences, these experiences were both positive. It really made it clear to me that Bradfield is having the same positive impact now as it did 25 or so years ago, and I’m sure it will continue to have this positive effect in another 25 years.
I genuinely believe that Bradfield is the best environment to be in to learn and grow, because this is a place where you’re pushed to be the best version of yourself, but also supported every step of the way. The year 9 version of myself only dreamed of going through life confidently, genuinely embracing what makes me different, or having the confidence to talk to an audience, let alone about issues that were so personal to me. But through the encouragement and support I’ve received over the last 5 years, not only have I become a person I wished I one day could be, but I’ve become a person that that the year 9 version of myself would have looked up to.
And I know that if you decide to become part of the Bradfield community, in a few years you will be able to say the same thing after your time here.
