I feel very blessed and honoured to have been chosen as the Head Girl of 2015. This is a great opportunity, granted to me by my peers, for me to grow not only as a leader but as a person as well. As the 2015 prefect body we presented a HORNS presentation which outlined the rules of the school and reminding the girls to always look neat and presentable. However, the R stands for Respect. Next year I would like the beautiful Riebeek Girls to have self-respect, respect for others and take pride in who they are. Self-respect includes believing in yourself, thinking highly of yourself, being confident and have a high self-esteem. Self-respect allows one to not be defined by society. As girls I would like us to not fit in with the crowd but stand out. By the end of 2015 I would like to see these traits in my peers.

At Riebeek you are surrounded by people who support and believe in you. The staff of Riebeek go beyond their call of duty for the learners. I would like to thank Mrs Woods and Mrs Snyman for nominating me and submitting my entry for the selection process of the 56th Die Burger Jeugleierskapkonferensie in Muizenburg. Thank you to Mrs Gerber who kindly assisted Mrs Snyman in completely my entry. When I heard I was selected I was overjoyed. The joy I felt at that moment cannot be expressed in words. My mother reports, "it is every parents dream and wish to see his/her child reaching for goals that have meaning for him/her as an individual my role as Yolanda's mom has always been a support system in whatever dream she has. It is in Yolanda's blood to grab any opportunities that awaits.When she saw the article, I encouraged her to take the chance and apply. When I received the news that she made it I couldn't believe my ears. I cant even express the way I feel even now. As a Christian I believe that everything is possible to God. My gratitude goes to Riebeek College teachers, who managed to unearth the hidden leadership skills in Yolanda. They played a great role in all this. Above all I thank God for His unfailing love for us. I've realised how luck I am to have such a wonderful, smart and optimistic daughter. When she was applying for this she was so optimistic that she will be chosen and I gave her my full support to go ahead. I even asked her if she will be able to participate in the conference as it will be in Afrikaans, and she said yes I can and I will. I know she will make us proud and leave a mark in Cape Town.The sky is the limit Yolanda!"

I'm overwhelmed and ecstatic to have the privilege of attending this conference. I am looking forward to learning about leadership before the year ahead. This opportunity couldn't have come at a better time.

The Mother City is a place that I've been wanting to visit and now I'm getting that opportunity. The Cape is rich in history that I cant wait to experience. When I get back I will be sharing the pearls of wisdom I have gained with the rest of the school as I believe that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders.