When Shelveen Kumar joined the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 2014, he had one dream, and that was to be a top student for USP.

That dream materialised on Wednesday night as he walked up to receive the medal for Most Outstanding Graduate for USP’s School of Management and Public Administration during the USP Laucala Campus Medal and Prizes ceremony.

But it hasn’t been just smooth sailing for the former Sigatoka Methodist College student.

Mr Kumar initially wanted to study medicine, but he found, in Year 10, that the subjects to were quite challenging.

This led to changing his career goals and opt for commerce studies.

He realised then that he loved accounting.

And that’s when fate turned the better for him.

It earned him a spot to study under the National Toppers Scheme (NTS) in USP.

The 21-year-old of Bilalevu in Sigatoka undertook a Bachelors of Commerce in Accounting and Human Resources.

Over the years, he not only managed to juggle a life solely behind the ledgers, he was active in many related activities which enhanced his portfolio.

Today he is an accountant for one of the world’s leading big four auditors, KPMG, based here. He began by spending his holidays as an attache for the firm.

“The effort that I have been putting towards my studies for the last three years has been accomplished,” Mr Kumar said.

“I would like to thank my family for always supporting me towards my education.”

In 2014, Mr Kumar was selected to be part of the Economics Student Association debate and in 2015 he became the senior peer mentor for the management courses.

During his semester breaks in 2015 and 2016, he was on attachment at the KPMG.

“I would like to thank the Government for making this possible,” he said.

“There was a certain point where I felt like giving up because it was very difficult for me to adapt into the new environment and cope with studies.

“But, I did not lose hope and I learned to become an independent person and work hard towards my studies to achieve my goals.”

Mr Kumar said he also has plans to do some work for his community in future.

The USP graduation is today.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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