Student Life
Chapel
Chapel Talks

Ask. Seek. Knock.

By Alex ’25
Hello Everyone! As you know, my name is Alex. What some of you might not know is that this is my second year at St. Albans. Although it has been only two years, it certainly has been eventful. Some of the wonderful things I got to do during my time here include becoming Head Prefect, starting two book clubs, leading the recent Earth Day clean-up, and working on my pièce de résistance: a tutoring program called MathBridges that serves underprivileged students in D.C.

Now, you might be thinking “Alex, stop flexing.” And you’re right to do so. This chapel talk is not about my successes. Instead, it is the lessons that have come from the embarrassing bits of my failures and doubts, which were unavoidable obstacles along the way.

First, one thing that I learned is this: Try. Try everything that you have a passion about, and anything that you think could make a great, positive, impact. A lot of times it doesn’t go well. Last year, I wanted to join the lacrosse team, so I went to a training clinic with the STA crew. I had casually played lacrosse in 1st grade, since my brother was on a team, and I sort of wanted to revisit the sport. So I got my gear, signed up for the clinic, and prepared to practice lacrosse for the first time in six years. To say the least, I was trash. Everyone recognized it. I overheard a bit of discouraging chatter from the other students at the clinic, and the coach recommended I move to a lower tier, which I did. However, I was glad for the experience. I realized for myself—not just from that poster in Ms. Meunier’s room that says you miss 100% of the shots you never take—but I truly realized that a failure in trying something new is never that bad. The worst that can happen is you go back to where you started.

On the other hand, a wild try can go quite swimmingly. Last summer, in the light of all of the racial and cultural injustices, I decided to read “Stamped,” a book on the history of racism, discrimination, and anti-racism. I wanted to make it a book club [selection] and encourage others to read it too, but I had no idea how to do so. To resolve it, I sought Mr. Chandler’s advice. Not only did he advise me, but he got personally involved in the meetings. He recommended me to Ms. Koch, and the both of them sat in on most of the sessions. I am glad to say that the book club was a great success, and hopefully a fun experience for the 20 or so Form II students who attended.

That example leads me to my second point: People want to help. If you have it in your heart to do something great, then you probably need the help of multiple people. Oftentimes, those people don’t actually benefit from helping you. However, if you are following your true aspirations, then you’ll find that people from all over will be willing to back you up. Case in point, I recently came to realize that I needed some software for MathBridges, my tutoring program. The software was really expensive, so I reached out to a national math company, and set up a meeting with their Vice President of Sales to ask for a discounted price. I’ll never forget that meeting; I was super nervous. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, and I’m pretty sure my voice cracked a couple of times. However, in the end, I didn’t just get the software for a discount, but I got it completely free.

In Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, he says to his audience: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I would call these three commands the key to success, and this is my charge to you: Ask. Seek. Knock. If there is anything great in your heart that you want to accomplish: Ask for help, seek advice, and knock on those doors. Yes, setbacks and disappointments will be part of the journey. Yes, you might feel the pain of rejection and the sting of defeat. But you will also experience the sweet joy of daring greatly and seeing your dreams come true.

Thank you.
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Located in Washington D.C.,  St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.