The Last Word
By Rota Lafita | Posted: Tuesday March 28, 2023
Today is the day where I do it, to my boys you will know what I'm talking about.
For the majority of you, you won’t know what I’m talking about. So it is this.
At exam time last year, I wouldn’t stop going on about doing a Last Word and how cool it would be to talk in front of all the boys, obviously not really thinking of it being my reality. As a fresh student in Year 11, I wasn’t expecting much, or to be honest, expecting anything as a Year 13, other than getting stuck into school and playing footy and making some memories with the boys. But now I am here and grateful to be here. So this is me, Rota Lafita, welcome to my interesting world.
Spending my first two years of high school back home in Dunstan I found it: 1 - pointless and 2 - even more pointless. Not to say Dunstan didn’t have much to offer, it was more the fact that my head wasn’t in the right headspace back home. What made my experience at Dunstan not so enjoyable was the people around me. I didn’t really get along with the people in my year, being that all my mates I knew before attending the school were in the year above. Being stuck in a class with people I didn’t necessarily enjoy being around didn’t help me at all. I believe I can relate to most boys that have transitioned into a new school, how they feel and being the new kids on the block. It all settles down once you surround yourself with people that have the same interests. It wasn’t hard. I just had to look to the boys which I now call brothers at the hostel. So I left Dunstan hoping to join the 1st XV, and to make the most of the opportunities Boys' High has to offer.
The day I found out I was given the opportunity to come to Otago Boys', the biggest smile took over my face. There's a large percentage of boys here, in my opinion, that don’t really understand how much bigger and greater than themselves, the school is. Think about that boys. When you live in the region of Otago and play rugby that’s all you ever hear “OBHS this, OBHS that,” so that was my motive to come to Boys' High. To be a part of something bigger than myself, something special. With this opportunity, my parents made it clear to me that it is something I shouldn’t take for granted.
I’ll be honest. Recently, I put myself in a situation where I thought I was bigger and greater than the school, more importantly the hostel. Thinking an opportunity like this couldn’t be taken away from me just like that. It hit me hard because it was a bad look for not just myself, but my parents too. Don't flip a coin on your chances here boys, because it can happen just like that. I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity to come to Boys' High as it changed my attitude towards school. I knew if I didn’t change the way I was back home, I would’ve soon seen myself back at Dunstan, going down a path that wasn’t in line with my heart.
When I look back to my early years at school, I laugh and ask myself about how I ended up with a role like this. Growing up, I’d say I was the most consistent student the school system will ever see. From the beginning of primary school until Year 10, my report would always be the same. My parents reaction would always be the same, most likely getting disciplined as a result. Every year it would say “Rota is capable, but is easily distracted or distracts others.”
I'm sure there's a number of you in here who can relate to that. Honestly, I hated the day my report would come out because I already knew what it was going to be. The same old “he is easily distracted and distracts others” and knew how my parents reacted, but I don’t know why I just didn’t change. So when I came to Boys' High I saw it as a new start.
In the past 2 years, I have seen a change in the way I approach the classroom. I figured that being the class clown and falling behind on my school work wasn’t worth it. I soon found the classroom was more enjoyable when I found the balance of having laughs in the class but also getting work done at the same time. There's not much to take from this Last Word other than just getting to know me on a more personal level. But from writing this, I'd suggest that you boys continue to be yourselves, because making it somewhere, being something you're not, isn’t the same.
Finally, I'll end my Last Word in the Boys' High tradition with a quote. This belongs to the household of 8 Ravelston Street. “We’re not here for a long time, but a good time.”
Cheers my brothers.
