While many are celebrating the festive season with feasts and gifts, 20-year-old Sera Nawaqa is marking the occasion with a personal achievement after graduating from the Valelevu Youth Training Centre with a Certificate IV in Music.
Speaking to fijivillage News, Nawaqa, who is originally from Lomanikoro in Rewa, says she lost her father when she was in Year 9, and her mother is currently working in Australia as a caregiver.
The 20-year-old who now lives with her grandmother, whom she credits for stepping in to support her and help care for her five siblings during a time when full parental guidance was not available.
Nawaqa says she learned about the training centre through a cousin who is a former student and decided to enrol after completing high school, drawn by the free programme and its strong employment opportunities.
She says it was there that she learned how to play the trombone.
She adds that financial difficulties, including the bus fare cost, were among the challenges she faced during her studies.
Nawaqa says that despite these hardships, she remained focused and motivated, drawing strength from her faith and the encouragement from her family.
She revealed that she
plans to continue her education at Fiji National University’s Nasinu Campus, where she hopes to specialise in Physical Education, Music, and Arts and Crafts, with the aim of becoming a PEMAC teacher.
Nawaqa is also encouraging school dropouts, teenage parents, and unemployed youths to consider enrolling in one of Fiji’s five youth training centres, saying the free programmes can help transform lives.
She says she will be spending the festive season with her family and is urging everyone to stay safe, resist peer pressure, and avoid drugs and other risky behaviour.
