What Will You Miss Most About St Catherine’s?
A reflection on friendship and community at St Catherine’s College.
Valedictory Speech by Manuela Palacio Diaz
Manuela Palacio Diaz at the Christmas in Narnia themed Valedictory Dinner at St Catherine’s College, Curtin
Good evening everyone, for those of you who don’t know me, I am Manu, a hopeful postgraduate of Human Resources, and a former Academic and Postgraduate RA here at St Catherine’s. The day I joined St Cath’s feels like a fever dream. I remember being welcomed by a tired RA whose name and face I don’t remember, walking down white halls to my room, dropping off my luggage, and then stubbornly walking to Coles in the middle of the day because I refused to get jet lag. I armed myself with a bucket, a mop, a spray bottle and started working in what, in just a few months, would become my home. I have met many people since, and have lived a kaleidoscope of experiences in the two years I have been part of this community. Today I stand before you to say goodbye.
When I was first signing up to valedict, I was asked: “What will you miss most about St Catherine’s”? I found the answer box to be too small. How can I put in 200 words or less the joy this community has brought me? How to capture my friend’s laughter in the late evening after getting Maccas? Is the joy of screaming over boardgames and silly romcom movies something I can bottle? Are summer sunsets and the cry of Kookaburras something I can fold like an origami bird? Will morning walks, afternoon chats and night friend council meetings fit in this essay? More importantly, will they fit in my luggage?
I am leaving Australia in a few weeks; that was always the plan. I am leaving with two suitcases, a photo album, and a heart bursting at the seams with kindness, love, sorrow and joy. Behind me follow postgrad socials, LAN nights, D&D nights, nanna craft Sundays and the love and care RA’s and club managers put into this garden of experiences. To those of you who have just begun your journey at Curtin and St Catherine’s, I beseech you to take part. To find friends whose shoulder you can cry on when the world gets too big, too heavy. To connect with leaders who can guide you and help you find a path when the road seems dark. To stop and listen to the caw of crows and the shrieks of carnabies, and to play with Bruno and Maggie when you just can’t deal with uni anymore.
And to those I leave behind, I ask that you cry tonight. Not because I am cruel, but because I agree that this is a loss that will make our friendship harder to maintain. However, after we have cried, let’s squeeze the last few minutes that the clock will give us. Let’s find more laughter to bottle, sunsets to fold and stories to share once we meet again.
Expand your world. Book a College tour.