Elvira Berzins (Frensham, Year 10, 2017) gained a High Distinction award in the 2017 ICAS Writing Competition (top one per cent in the international candidature) and was also awarded the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Medal for her writing.
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Students with the top score in each subject in each year level are awarded this medal and a Medal Winner’s Certificate in a ceremony was held at the University in November 2017.
Wealth, luck or intelligence – which would you choose?
A person dies. Now, don’t be alarmed - they die in relative comfort, knowing they have experienced all the worldly pleasures life can bestow. Almost all.
There is one small problem: they made a mistake.
And they die knowing that the life they had lived was mundane and ordinary at best. This person could be you. Wealth, luck or intelligence? It’s a question that has withstood time, disputed amongst even the wisest of scholars.
But truth be told, it isn’t a question, but a challenge.
The most obvious choice is the one picked the least: intelligence.
Nobody can take away intelligence.
The beauty of this strange, wonderful concept is that it isn’t physical, yet it is the greatest tool you have and it is yours to keep.
We mortals gravitate towards what satisfies us immediately – and wealth is one such example.
Riches, however, can vanish as swiftly as a passing breeze, whilst intelligence will never betray or leave you.
Wealth and luck can be achieved by intelligence alone.
Forgive me, but only the foolish would ever overlook the option that can give you all three.
A slight 9.5% of the world’s population is considered to have an IQ over 140; all the more reason for intelligence to appear as the obvious choice.
We have enough kings, queens and desperate outcasts scavenging for four-leaf clovers.
Intelligence is rare, and people admire it.
The very foundations of our history lean upon the shoulders of intelligent people.
If you had the power to make a ground-breaking discovery, wouldn’t you take it?
Your mind has the ability to change the way we think – perhaps even change the way the world thinks.
With intelligence, there are no limits to what you can achieve.
Intelligence is a loyal companion. You can apply it in any situation. 71% of companies have a preference for hiring intelligent people.
Scholarships, promotions and trips overseas are all at your fingertips.
You have the freedom to experience life at its best and most vibrant, and why wouldn’t you?
Wealth, luck or intelligence? I know you have the answer. Only intelligent people do.
