07/08/2026
FINANCIAL LITERACY AWARDS ASSEMBLY
An inspirational Address by Chief Guest - Priyanka Mishra - Former Head Girl (2018) during the Awards Assembly
Letās be honest, living on your own savings is an incredibly humbling experience. Suddenly, that extra expenses doesnāt seem so necessary. Every purchase becomes a negotiation with yourself. āDo I actually need thisā¦ or do I just want it because everyone else has one?ā Last week I returned from my graduation ceremony in Brisbane, and when I walked into shops Iād pick something up, look at the price, and immediately convert it into Fijian dollars in my head Iād think ā30 AUD? Thatās about 70 FJDā¦ do I really need this?ā Most of the timeā¦ Iād quietly put it back on the shelf. Now, I know every student sitting here has a different story and a different journey. Some of you may come from urban areas, while others may travel from rural communities each day to be here. Some of you may have the support of pocket money, while others may already have part-time jobs or responsibilities outside of school to help your families. And because everyoneās circumstances are different, the way we approach money will also look different. Itās not about how much money you have, but about the decisions you make with what you have. Something else I wish someone had told me at your age is to stop comparing your life to everyone elseās. Social media is amazing - It helps us connect & learn & allows us to draw inspiration, but it can also be exhausting. I havenāt had Instagram for about two years. Not because anything is wrong, but because after a while it starts feeling like everyone is competing. Whoās travelling more? Whoās buying more? Whoās living the perfect life? The truth is that nobody posts the days theyāre struggling, nobody posts the bills they have to pay and nobody posts the guilt behind opportunities they missed. Youāre comparing the parts of your life that people donāt see with the parts of someone elseās life they choose to share. Comparison is a race nobody ever truly wins so run your own race and trust your own journey. And please believe me when I say thisā¦Financial literacy doesnāt mean never spending money. Life isnāt just meant to be saved for. Itās meant to be lived. Take your parents out for lunch one day. Travel if you can. Celebrate your achievements. Buy yourself something nice every now and then - Just make sure youāre making those decisions on your own and not from outside inļ¬uence. I experienced this ļ¬rst-hand earlier this year when I went to Queenstown and ļ¬nally did something Iād wanted to do for years which was bungy jumping. To me, it deļ¬nitely wasnāt cheap, so it wasnāt something I did on impulse. I planned for it. I saved for it and when the time came, I knew it was something I genuinely wanted to do. Of course, when I told my parents I was going to jump on a 43-metre high bridge, they were not too keen on the idea. My family stood on the sidelines hoping the rope didnāt snap. My mom tried to record me but as soon as I jumped, she almost dropped her own phone. But I can honestly tell you - I jumped with the biggest smile on my face. Thereās actually a video of it on my phone and right before I jumped you can literally see all my teeth because I was so excited. And thatās a memory Iāll carry with me for the rest of my life. Money spent on a lifelong memory. Looking back now, I donāt remember every shirt I didnāt buy. I donāt remember every pair of shoes I didnāt buy - But I remember graduating. I remember travelling. I remember sharing meals with my family AND I will always remember standing on that bridge in Queenstown before taking that leap. Those experiences will stay with me far longer than any material possession ever will. Now as Iām working, every payday, a portion of my salary automatically goes into savings. I donāt touch it. At the beginning of this year, I also invested in a few places because I wanted to start making my money work for me, even while Iām busy doing other things. I donāt do these things because Iām some financial genius. Far from it. Iām still learning. But I realised something - Future Priyanka deserves a little help from present Priyanka - and in the future you deserve the same. One day, every single one of you will leave this school. Some of you will become teachers. Some accountants. Some engineers. Some of you might even end up doing jobs that donāt exist yet. Whatever path you choose, just remember: Your career is allowed to change. Your dreams are allowed to change. Your mind is allowed to change. But donāt let poor financial decisions take away your ability to choose. Because financial literacy isnāt about having the biggest bank account. Itās about having the freedom to make decisions that are right for your life. Before I ļ¬nish, Iād like to leave you all today with a statement that I hope youāll remember for a long time - Money doesnāt buy happinessā¦But it does buy options - and sometimes, having options is one of the most valuable things you can have. So with that, I genuinely hope that somewhere in these few minutes, there was one message, one idea, or maybe one story that stays with you long after you leave this hall today. If thatās happened today, then I can happily say my time here has been worthwhile. Thank you once again for inviting me to be here today. I wish you all the very best for the rest of 2026. I hope you continue to dream big, trust your journey, and create countless opportunities for yourself.
