Being raised by a single moth­er, Senitiki Salusalu Bilitaki had to overcome some of the toughest challenges in life to be­come the woman she is today.

On Friday, the 27-year-old stood tall amongst the crowd as she was admitted to the bar with 33 other University of the South Pacific Bachelor of Law graduates at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.

Ms Bilitaki couldn’t help her tears as she reflected on the challenges her mom had to go through to raise her and her four siblings single handedly.

She said she was able to attain her Bachelor of Law Degree last year through the Tertiary Education Loan Scheme (TELS).

“Pursuing my law degree was not easy, there were a lot of challenges, mainly financial challenges we had to go through as a family,” she said.

“At times it was money for print­ing, or bus fares to get to school. But one thing was certain, I did not let these challenges get in the way for me, especially in achieving what I have achieved today.”

She said her secret was humility and dedication towards her studies.

“The support from family was my driving factor.

“I went through a lot of challenges as a child growing up but I had a strong support system especially with my mom and siblings, I would cry at times but we kept encourag­ing each other to keep going.

“If it wasn’t for my mom and my siblings I wouldn’t have made it this far

“My mom has been the backbone of my family and everything I have achieved today is because of her and her hard work.”

She said TELS has been a great help to her family and she thanked the Government of the day for bringing such assistance.

“If it wasn’t for TELS I would have to work for years to collect money and then study. With TELS I was able to do it all without having to worry where my fees will come from.”

Edited by Jeremiah Ligairi

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