ACADEMIC TERM DATES

I joined Grange school in September 2015, meaning I also joined hostel four years ago as well. It is surprising to say the least that I will soon be rolling my suitcase out of the boarding house, and not just for the weekend but permanently. I remember moving into my room with anxiety in my stomach. I wasn't really used to sleeping anywhere other than home. Now hostel has become a second home to me.

Over the course of the years, being a boarder has equipped me with some skills truly needed in life. My experience, I would say, has more or less prepared me for the future. It has groomed me and transformed me from the shy girl who walked into the gates of hostel, to the confident and independent student leader I am today. I will definitely say that hostel is responsible for providing me with situations, whether purposely or not, where I had to show signs of independence and improve my level of maturity in order to handle certain situations, individually or with assistance.

As well as that, being in hostel has taught me some basic skills like time-management. I have improved immensely in the way that I go about and the amount of time I spend on some specific projects because I have learned to adjust to a system of no procrastinating, in order to get work done and to have a productive day. I must admit, I would not be shaped and molded into the person I am today if not for the constructive criticism of the houseparents, who have the best interest of all their students at heart, and are always willing to lend you their undivided attention.

Another major role-player in my experience here is the atmosphere it creates. It has provided a foundation for the making of life-long friendships, which I have made myself, but it also depicts an academically sound environment, meaning you must be determined to work hard and be nothing but focused in order to achieve your goals. There would be no vibrancy or excitement in me if not for the tightly bonded friendships I have formed in hostel.

As a boarder, I also had to learn the importance of proper teamwork and it helped me enable myself work with different types of people in order to be more productive, both as a student and a leader. As the Boarding House Prefect, I would be honoured to partake in the improvement of hostel by using the skills I have gained whilst my stay here. I am already filled with a sense of achievement for being given a post which puts me in charge of a fraction of the school community. I believe I would be a role model to the rest of the hostel, as well as be able to help them with their problems, no matter how small. I hope to introduce new challenges and responsibilities amongst younger students which I have not yet considered.

I look forward to the opportunities that require me to have an effective input, and all in all the responsibility that lies with handling this community, with the Almighty God on my side.