It has been a while since I posted, not because I haven’t had anything to write about, just that other priorities were important.  However, that is life.

During the past three weeks I have listened to twenty-nine final year students present on what, or who has inspired them and guided their passion to strive for a career and life after university.  They, in turn, have inspired me.  Most spoke of publicly successful business women and men, prominent sports people, authors and community leaders.  However, three were different – thus inspiring in a unique way.

Two students spoke of their father and how their examples of support, commitment and love continues to inspire them.  The third student could not relate to any person who had inspired her.  With an initial glance at the assignment, she considered that it was a ‘fluffy’ assessment and that she would not have to do much work to get a good mark.  That was until she actually though about the question as to whom inspired her.  She then discovered that it was not so easy.  Still she could have taken the easy option and picked some ‘high flyer’, conducted a little research and lied her way through her presentation.  However, she didn’t.  The value of ethical behaviour kicked in.  She talked of her challenges in understanding what inspiration was, what drives her to get up each morning, where she wants to go with her working life and what she wishes to contribute to the community.  She found the person who is passionate and inspirational – herself.