In this series of articles, we find out about our student leaders, their backgrounds, roles and ambitions. Today we feature our Kaitiakitanga Prefects, Ellen Caudy and Christy Mathachan.
Wishing to educate students regarding the benefits of including eco-friendly habits into our lives – Christy and Ellen have numerous goals as the Sancta Maria Kaitiakitanga Prefects for 2022. The two are extremely passionate about being stewards for our environment and aim to encourage others to feel the same.
Christy Mathachan
Local coordinator for SMYM (Syro-Malabar Youth Movement) Auckland Teens, and an avid explorer of nature, Christy hopes to share her appreciation for our Earth with the college. Her main objective is to engage students and staff in environmental activities, along with making Sancta Maria more of a tight-knit community.
Her inspiration to become a prefect originates from her experience with the prefects in 2016 – “They made sure the year sevens were welcomed and felt comfortable to ask whenever we needed help”, she says. This experience motivated her to become a prefect, and she hopes to exhibit the same values as the ones who inspired her.
She advises those striving for prefect roles to stay true to themselves. She emphasises that the desire to become a prefect shouldn’t be for the title or the badge, but to make change. “The badge is just metal, the title is just a word, the leader which you are is what we need in the world”.
Ellen Caudy
Seeking to have a platform to voice her concerns about our Earth prompted Ellen to apply for this prefect position. She plans to focus on introducing easy and positive changes students can make to help preserve the environment, as she believes it is better we start implementing change. She says, “I don’t want to focus on the negative actions we, as a community, have taken in the past regarding the environment.”
Ellen loves science and math-based subjects, especially chemistry and biology. She enjoys reading in her spare time, and one of her passions is shopping at second-hand clothing stores due to it being a sustainable option to explore fashion.
When asked what advice Ellen would give to those who are looking to be prefects in the future, she said to take advantage of every opportunity which is offered to you, even if it is out of your comfort zone. In doing this, students demonstrate their confidence and give a good impression to peers and teachers.
Both Christy and Ellen hope the prefects this year can make positive changes in our school community, and we congratulate them on being awarded with this amazing role!
