I had the privilege of speaking to the pupils of Lurgan College this week about resilience, a skill I believe can change the direction of anyone’s life.
For these pupils, external exam season is just around the corner. That can bring pressure, stress and moments of real self-doubt. But what struck me most was how engaged they were. The questions they asked afterwards showed not only maturity but also a genuine desire to understand resilience and how it can help them in the middle of stressful times. That was so encouraging to see.
Their Head, Kyle McCallan, is resilience personified. I still remember being with him at the ICC Trophy when he didn’t play a single game. That could easily have defined him. But four years later, he wasn’t just playing every game: he was captaining the side. He turned a setback into fuel for success and I know that example will rub off on his pupils.
If the pupils of Lurgan College can carry that same spirit into exam season and into life beyond school, they’ll discover what resilience really means: not being shaped by the setback but by how you rise after it.
