Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals.

Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals. 

By William Lyon Tupman. Speech at the ELAC Virtual School Graduation Ceremony, North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton. 

Suggested Bible readings: Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37. 

I'm delighted to be here with you today to bring to you my message and story, as we celebrate all of our great achievements. 

First, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to you all, for what you have done; we are all here today to celebrate our own and each other's achievements, and – especially considering what some of us have been through – these are hugely significant. 

I'm twenty-three years old, and used to be in foster care from the ages of thirteen to eighteen, and then also staying put for an additional year with my foster family. I'm now a Master's student at university, and I'm currently on the road to becoming a vicar in the Church of England. 

My message to you is this: nothing is impossible, and everything is possible. Realise your potential, and achieve your goals. 

My Father passed on very shortly after my fourth birthday, in 1999, and this was one of the reasons why my Mother decided to educate me at home. I lived at home with my Mother, until she passed on in 2008 when I was thirteen. I then moved in with my Godparents, and later that year I moved into foster care, and I also started school. 

While I have always been a Christian, it was at this time that I realised my absolute dependence on God, and became a more fully practising Christian. 

So, there was a lot of change in my life, in a very short space of time. In the space of just a few months, I'd been orphaned, I'd started school, and I'd moved homes twice. To help me come to terms with, and to understand, everything that had happened, I had five years of counselling, and my social workers were also particularly helpful at this time. I'd say I relied quite heavily on the first three years of my counselling; the latter two years were still very helpful of course, but by that point I'd processed and worked through a lot; I'd become much happier, and therefore the remaining counselling sessions became more of a safety net. 

I had a lot of fun at school; I discovered one of my favourite hobbies (cross country running), I made lots of friends, I learned how to play the flute, I continued singing in choirs, and it is also where I discovered my love of academic study. It was also the first time someone – the late Fr. Francis Dobson OSB, monk of Ampleforth Abbey and College, York – told me I may have a vocation to ordained ministry – and he continually encouraged me in my journey until his passing a few months ago. 

My teachers were all extremely helpful and encouraging in helping me to prepare for university. By this time, I had also moved to live with a different foster family, who were instrumental in encouraging me in aiming high and applying to some universities I'd never have even thought of applying to. At first, I had never even thought of applying to Cambridge University, but my foster family and teachers all said I should. 

And so I did. And, as a result, I studied my BA Degree in Theology and Religious Studies, at Girton College Cambridge, from 2014-2017. I absolutely loved it; I met lots of new friends, I worked in the Chapel, I sung in the Chapel Choir, I served two terms on the Freshers' Committee, I ran for the University's cross country team, I captained the College's cross country team, I wrote a few essays, I went to lots of parties, and I even became involved in a bit of student politics! 

During my time at Cambridge, I began my Discernment Process with the Church of England, and my College Chaplain (Fr Malcolm Guite), vocations advisor (Fr Geoff Dumbreck) and my Diocesan Director of Ordinands (Rev'd Anna Matthews) all helped me embark on my vocational search within the Church – and still do so today. 

I also filmed a short documentary for Fixers UK, a charity which works to make young peoples' voices heard on a variety of topics, and crucially therefore raising awareness. Filming in Cambridge, they interviewed me as I told my story and set out my message of encouragement to everyone who is in foster care or adoption, as well as foster carers, adoptive parents and members of staff in local authorities across the country. The story was aired on ITV News Anglia in April 2017; if you'd like to see it, here is a link to the feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLaNXr2ELY 

I enjoyed my time at university so much, I decided that I'd like to study further, and that's where I'm now at today. I'm studying for a Masters in Biblical Studies and Theology, at King's College London, where I'm having a great time. I've also met many wonderful new friends, and I've joined more societies – political, athletic, and ThinkMental, which is an organisation which campaigns for and raises awareness for mental health. I'm very shortly about to submit my dissertation, which is a thesis on the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, ecumenism, and Biblical interpretations and ideas relating to the subjects. It's very interesting, and I'm hugely enjoying it! 

Next year, I will be a Lay Pastoral Assistant at St. Michael's Church, Croydon, Greater London. The journey I am now on with the Church is indeed a very exciting one, and I will be also serving my next parish placement in Portugal at St. George's Church, Lisbon, and St. Paul's Church, Estoril, for a fortnight. 

Finally, I would like to thank all my wonderful friends, my family, my foster families, the Church, all the team at North Yorkshire County Council, my teachers, lecturers and everyone else for helping make and develop me into the person I am today. Even at times when I thought such things were impossible for me to attain, it was the continuous support, encouragement and help I received along the way which helped make these things possible, and I love my happy, blessed life. I am so grateful, and I really hope that this shows that nothing is impossible, and everything is possible. 

Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals. Good luck to you all, and God Bless.