Life became very difficult for Jope Tarai when he had lost his mother as a Form 3 student and he had to move in with his extended maternal family to further pursue his education.
The 31-year-old received a gold medal and the Faculty of Business and Economics Prize for the most outstanding Master of Arts thesis at the USP 2019 Medal and Prizes ceremony.
Speaking to Fijivillage, an emotional Tarai says he did not realize the full impact of his mother’s passing at the time.
Tarai says all credit for his success goes to his maternal family who guided him and provided for him, stood by him and supported him to this day.
He says his mum’s younger sister forked out the cost of his education.
Tarai acknowledged the women from his mother’s family from Waikete in Tailevu for their endurance and strength in helping raise him.
Tarai says it is also important to have good relations with family members and for him this contributed to his success.
