By Eleanor Clifton-Bligh
Undergraduate Senior Student 2022
On behalf of the student leadership teams and broader Sancta community, it is an absolute honour to welcome our new undergraduate and postgraduate students to the place you will call home for the next year.
Like many of you, I was unaware of what would come of my time at Sancta, nor did I understand the true value of becoming a part of a college such as ours. But it is the seemingly hour-long conversations in hallways, the loud and proud red and white decking the stands at every sporting and cultural event, the spooning in at Formal Dinner to celebrate our achievements and being able to sit down at any table and know you will have a good laugh reminiscing over the undoubtedly fun stories you have from the night before. These are what make Sancta a community I am so grateful and proud to be a part of. Our Sancta spirit is truly a force to be reckoned with.
There is so much that the student leadership teams, the House Committee, and Resident Assistants hope to achieve in 2022. We will strive to uphold Sancta’s strong values and we hope to introduce new traditions, social events, broaden the scope of social sport and expand our cultural program to showcase the incredible talent of our Sancta students.
I would now like to share some advice with you all. Firstly, in the words of Winnie the Pooh, “We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun!” I urge you to be open and willing to try new things. College is such a small period of your life so make the most of it or it might just slip through your fingers. Sign up for those sports teams, the sub-committees, the dance team, Palladian. You never know the hidden talents you might find or the friends you might make!
And secondly, there is such great power in the word ‘hello’. The most incredible part of the Sancta community is the people within it, and we are so proud of our diversity. Whether you are joining us not knowing a single person or coming in with a few friends already, I encourage you to take a jump down the rabbit hole, start those conversations and reach out to new people because they will become your closest friends. You will no doubt face challenges over the course of the year, but your Sancta family is here to lift you up.