The Ignatian - December 2016 Vol 26 December 2017 Vol 28 | Page 13

Bursary Story Acts of Kindness I was raised by my Aunty and Uncle, who came to look after me from the age of nine, when my mum and dad weren’t able to. This was, perhaps, the first big act of kindness shown towards me, even though I didn’t realise it at the time. At such a young age, I never really thought twice about it, but as I got older I slowly put the pieces together and realised that my family situation was ‘different’. In terms of men and women for others, I have been the ‘other’ and people were always helping me, so now I want to strive to be the one who helps others. When I was younger, at times I had to escape my home environment and I would invite myself over to my friends’ places for the afternoon or for the night. These families never once snooped on my situation, but welcomed me into their homes and always had a smile. My friends didn’t look at me differently, and this was an early realisation that they were magical, in the sense that their actions could take me away from tough situations and make them good ones. This is much the same today. At the boarding house, the boys who know my family situation don’t treat me differently. To them, I’m just Andy. As small as this is, it makes a huge difference to me. Another example is on Mothers’ Day; a number of people came up to me that day and said “Hey mate, I was thinking of you today.” They recognised that this day would be a bit different for me, and it’s nice to know they thought about me. And this made me think, am I showing this same type of thoughtfulness to other people too? At times, I think we all struggle with ask ing people how they are really going; me personally, I have failed at this many times. But as I have seen the wonders of thoughtful gestures from my friends, this has encouraged me to lift others up as they have lifted me. There have been many times where I have struggled or been upset about my past, wishing that things were different or things could change. However, it has been through conversations with some of my closest friends that I have been able to gain some greater perspective in the sense of being grateful for my experiences. Now that I’ve just finished at Riverview, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what my future holds, as this school, and especially the people in it, have become like my family. But then I think about all the acts of kindness and friendships I’ve experienced here – I’ll always be connected to these people. In terms of men and women for others, I have been the “other” and people were always helping me, so now I want to strive to be the one who helps others. We have a great opportunity as a school community to see each other every day and we all have the chance to take action and make a difference in our friends’ lives, whether that be through a smile, fist bump, hug or even just listening. Although I have experienced hardship, as every one of us does in life, with our friends and families we can get through it. We are not alone. There are many tough and different situations our friends are in, mine is just one of the many. However, it is my hope that you know there are countless ways to be there for your mates that will make a massive difference for them. All we can do is be there with and for each other. With a small gesture, you can really change someone’s life. I would like to thank all my friends over the years who have always been a positive influence on me; I am very grateful for all you have done even though you may not have realised. And I thank each one of you, the generous donors to the Bursary Program. Although I don’t know you individually, hopefully you now know something about me, one of the many you’ve helped with your generosity and belief in this school. Without you, 90 of my brothers here at Riverview would never have had this wonderful experience of an education here. A N DY D U P O N T (O R 2 0 1 7 ) WINNER OF THE 2017 I N S I G N IS M E DA L B U R SA RY S T O RY | I G N ATI A N | 1 3