A Senior Tribute

Natalie Ryan

Being a new student during my senior year was less of a challenge than one may assume. Many of my peers welcomed me with warm hearts and open arms. I have only been at this school for three quarters (1 ½ semesters), and I already find it very painful to say my goodbyes. This school has provided me with so many opportunities to grow as an individual, and I am proud to announce I have learned a lot. Many of my fellow seniors feel the same way, and I thought it would be a good idea to pay tribute to my grade and ask a few classmates to reflect on their senior year and life at Dalat -- so I asked them a series of questions and then added my own reflections:

What is your favourite thing about Dalat?

Sophia Ong replied, “I value the friendships I’ve made over the years -- hopefully they will be lifelong friendships.”

It is difficult to keep in touch when we all fly to separate parts of the world for university or work, but those who mean the most to us will still keep in touch.

Rahul Gill replied to this question saying, “My favourite thing about Dalat is its teachers. They are nice and compassionate.”

This quality was one of the things I first noticed when I came to Dalat. It is essential when it comes to the wellbeing of the school’s students.

Daniela Rana replied, “I love how there is so much diversity in our student body.”

This diversity allows us all to immerse ourselves in each other’s cultures and be rid of any pre-existing prejudices. Being a Third Culture Kid has its advantages.

What is your favourite memory of Dalat?

Aaron Tan answered, “Setting up JSB with my grade. It made me feel like we were a family working together on a project.”

JSB is a Dalat event I have not participated in yet, but I am excited for the opportunity to come soon.

Daniela had the same answer as Aaron, “JSB in Junior year was amazing; it is a great story to tell.”

My favourite memory was Senior Sneak. I hardly knew any of my classmates, but going to Phi Phi Island, doing service, playing group games and participating in activities allowed me to branch out of my friend group and talk to many other students.

 

What is the point of going to school and receiving an education when you don’t learn any real life lessons; so I asked my peers,

 “What is one lesson you’ve learned at Dalat that you apply to your everyday life?”

Rahul answered, “I learned that friends come and go, helping me appreciate people more.”

Being in an international, Christian school, missionary and expat families come and go -- they move around a lot. We learn to adapt to change early on and that is just something we must accept; it also helps us have more gratitude.

Daniela’s answer also really resonated with me: “I learned the importance of serving and giving to others.”

Generosity is a quality that humbles, and it is one to relish in as we receive happiness when giving to others.

What is one thing you wish you had known before you enrolled at Dalat?

Daniela and Sophia had similar answers; to paraphrase, they both said, “I wish I knew how to be involved. I wish I had joined school activities sooner.”

Joining group activities helps us bond with our peers on a different level; we get to see them on a regular basis and perhaps grow stronger long-term friendships.

Rahul wishes that “he had known ahead of time that certain words are taboo in other (non-Malaysian) cultures.” This had gotten him into a few sticky situations.

It is best not to live with regrets, but to learn from our mistakes; so I asked, “What do you wish you had done differently in your senior year of high school?”

 Rahul answered, “I enrolled in the classes that interested me.”

This is a mistake many of us make: we choose classes we think we should take but not classes we want to take. Hopefully, this lesson will be helpful for our peers in the grades below us -- it is advice worth taking.

Sophia said she wishes that she had “spent more time with the people who matter the most” to her.

Paradoxically, impermanence is the only permanent thing in life; we only ever experience a moment once, so we must cherish every single one of them. This was one thing I learned this year as well.

What will you miss the most?

Each student I interviewed (Sophia, Chia Hoong, Aaron, Daniela, and Rahul) all said the same thing, “I will miss my friends the most.” It is the people that make Dalat into the accepting environment that it is. These are our last few months together, so it is a time for us all to reflect, learn, and prepare for the not so distant future ahead of us.