Perseverance Conquers All
Perseverantia vincit omnia

Over the past few weeks, we have celebrated the rite of passage of our Year 12 graduates' with the Valedictory Mass and Awards Ceremony to acknowledge the end of their six-year journey at Padua College. Now they commence their next journey and join our 125-year-old alumni.

Over this period, we have frequently heard reference to our College motto by student leaders and staff - 'Perseverance conquers all' or in the original Latin, 'Perseverantia vincit omnia'.

What can our graduates, current students and community take from our College motto?

They can draw inspiration from our 125-year history and legacy of the Mercy Sisters who displayed great perseverance in setting up a Catholic place of learning on the Mornington Peninsula in 1898, which is now a flourishing Catholic school and the largest in the Archdiocese of Melbourne with over 2,500 students.

The word 'Persevere' comes from the Latin root persevereus which means to continue steadfastly, to persist.

Perseverance is more than endurance.
It is to have a belief that what you are looking for is going to happen.
It is to have a purpose.
It is a willingness to step into the unknown.
It is to have a spirit that refuses to accept the failure of quitting.

Perseverance is something that many employers want to see in their employees. This is because they want someone who will not give up easily. These are the sorts of people who get the job done, no matter what.

I recently read an article about inspirational business stories and a few stood out on the theme of perseverance and conquering dreams. Share these stories with your kids or other people who you think could benefit from hearing stories of perseverance!

Whats App

Jan Koum, the founder of WhatsApp (sold to Facebook for US$19bn) grew up very poor in Ukraine. He was almost hired at Facebook but got passed over in the last interview. Instead of sulking, Jan went on to found WhatsApp! He didn’t take no for an answer.

Starbucks

Without perseverance, the coffee giant would never have come into existence. Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, went to over 200 banks looking for his original loan. After a year of rejections, he was able to secure the $400,000 needed from individual investors. Today, the brand employs over 137,000 people around the world. Schultz never gave up, no matter how hard it seemed.

KFC

Colonel Sanders didn’t start KFC until he was 60 years old after receiving his first social security cheque. Instead of retiring, he worked from age 60 – 73 to master his technique and grow his business. A lesson from the Colonel is that it’s never too late and to never give up on your dreams.

Mission Month

October is Mission Month, when Catholics all over the world join to pray, celebrate and care for the whole family of the Church. A large and important part of our Church is still regarded as ‘missionary’ and needs our help to survive and grow to self-sufficiency.