Introducing 2021 Deputy Head Girl: Lucy Anderson

Introducing our Deputy Head Girl for 2021, Lucy Anderson. 

What do you hope to bring to the College Community as Head Girl/Deputy Head Girl?

As Deputy Head girl, I want to make Santa Maria a place where students feel accepted and most importantly happy. I believe that if you are happy with what you are doing then you will always be successful. I want students to fully immerse themselves into the community, this may mean giving back, providing time or donating goods to charity, or simply just participating and encouraging other girls in school activities. To create a healthy environment for students of all ages, to trust that we have their best interest. Girls can get carried away with their studies and grades, which makes it difficult to build personal connections with family and friends, which are so significant in one’s life. I wish to bring out the best in every girl, to get people to open themselves up to new opportunities, which may lead to the discovery of something they enjoy.

Why did you apply to be a leader in 2021?

Although throughout my time at Santa Maria I have only been a leader once, I do feel as though I possess the qualities of a leader. I am dedicated and committed to everything I try. I am loyal and honest and committed to building strong connections with everyone I meet. I am innovative and always trying to discover new ways of approaching things. Lastly, I am optimistic, and always try to find the best in everything. As 2021 is my final year at Santa Maria, I figured why not, I have seen many past Deputy Head Girls/Head Girls create such an accepting and positive environment in the school and all I want to do is be able to do the same. 

Who do you admire and what is it that you admire about them?

Although it isn’t one person, I admire my water polo team. The dedication, commitment, and talent this group of girls have is crazy. They work together, to help everybody enhance their skills whilst improving their own skills. The early morning swim trainings show the dedication they have to the sport and not just that, but also volunteering at club events, tournaments, and just on the weekends. Besides playing the sport, the girls as individuals are so incredible. Their kind and joyous personalities don’t just make it easier to turn up to training most days but also has allowed me to make some life-long friends. The admiration I have for these girls is purely stemmed from the positivity they radiate and the desire to always improve to better the team as a whole.  

If you could sit down and have a conversation with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

From a historical point of view, I would have a conversation with Sir Ernest Edward “Weary” Dunlop. Throughout his life, he was a rugby player, surgeon, soldier, and businessman, this long list of extraordinary careers was just the surface. It was his heroism and compassionate soul that he was most remembered for. Being able to lead a group of people to that extreme, especially as they were going through such a traumatic time, is truly inspiring, in the words of one of his men, Dunlop is “a lighthouse of sanity in a universe of madness and suffering”. It is said that he is an example of why Australian survival rates were so high in prisoner-of-war camps, as he defied his captors, gave hope to the sick, and eased the pain of the dying. This portrays not only the talents that he held but also the type of leader I could aspire to be like one day.