Don’t be afraid. Be real
We live in a world where people are afraid to be themselves. Jeremiah is one student who’s overcome that fear and isn’t scared to show his true self. He shows us that inner peace isn’t as hard to reach as we thought.
Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Jeremiah Saufoi.
Okay, um, what are your favourite memories about your childhood?
Um, I think my favourite memory of my childhood is growing up in a family that was so caring, and we were so close, and we bonded through, like, singing and… just communicating.
What was your favourite meal that your parents, or your mum or dad, used to cook for your whole family?
I think my favourite meal was… I think just curry and rice. Because of the flavours, and like, when my mum would cook curry it would make the whole house smell like curry. So, yeah.
Who inspires you to, um, do better in school?
I feel like my family inspires me, and plus the lectures in the car inspire me, and my teachers at school inspire me to do better and to move forward in life.
[Woman in background: Can you explain the lectures in the car?]
Um, the lectures in the car are — they talk about like, do good in school, study. And, like, the worst things about the lectures is, when you’re in the car you can’t escape. So you can’t escape those types of lectures.
[Woman in background : Who gives you those lectures?]
My mum and dad.
Do you have any dreams?
Um, I’ve always wanted to be a singer, but um… I don’t know about that dream.
Did you overcome any fears?
I feel like coming to school and being yourself is one of my biggest fears, and I feel like I’ve accomplished that throughout the years.
What is the most scariest thing you’ve seen or heard about?
Um, the scariest thing I’ve seen is probably kids talking about inappropriate things, yeah.
[Woman in background: Can you elaborate?]
Like, people talking about like, alcohol, clubbing [laughs] and those types of things.
[Woman in background: Why do you think they’re inappropriate?]
Oh… I dunno, it’s just weird talking about those types of things.
[Woman in background: To be at the age that you’re at?]
Yeah, yeah.
What are your — oh, what are your favourite things to do in your spare time?
My favourite things to do is… watch movies on Netflix, or hang out with family and cousins, or just sing and draw.
Do you have any goals you want to achieve?
Um, I feel like I haven’t really had many goals in life. But one of them is probably to graduate high school and probably go to Uni.
Do you have any plans when you finish Uni or?
Um, my parents want me to be an accountant, but I feel like that’s kind of a boring job, so I dunno. I feel like I wanna be, like, an architect or something.
If you could change anything about this world, what would it be?
I would change the fact, um, of people being fake to each other. Like, you could be a little real to each other, and like… less hate in the world.
[Woman in background takes the mic]
Uh, Jeremiah, you mentioned that one of the things that you overcame or learned was how to be yourself, and be true to yourself. Can you describe a little bit about how you get to be that confident? Or, like, what — yeah, what kind of process you go through. You mentioned about being bullied, and that would’ve had an impact on people, you know, telling you you were something you weren’t or something maybe. Yeah.
So I feel like, um… when you face something like that, I feel like you have to do it by yourself. It’s, like, a personal thing, and more mentally… so I feel like it’s more something you have to do by yourself.
How? Where does that come from? How do you get over it? I mean, what about — do friends help?
Friends definitely help because they give you, like, a different perspective on what you’re seeing, and, like — in that situation.
Are you proud of who you are now?
Yes and no. But I’m proud that I’ve got friends beside me to help me through this crazy journey.
Awesome! That’s great.