Multiple hurdles that would have stopped most people failed to deter Fiji Sun senior advertising sale executive Krishnil Prasad.

He graduated yesterday graduating during the University of the South Pacific ceremony at the Vodafone arena in Suva.

He managed to conquer the struggles and life’s events which would have stopped some.

He was among the 1680 students who graduated being awarded a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

The former Rishikul College student struggled while growing up because his father was diabetic and got involved in an accident while he was employed as a taxi driver.

“This made him unable to work due to the injuries sustained making him partially immobile when I was in Form 6 (Year 12),” Mr Prasad, 23, said.

“During the Christmas school break, I started off my first employment at Pizza King and Wishbone and was there for two months.

“I was in Form 7 (Year 13) at Rishikul and I did extremely well and was an above average academically.

“This great results paid off when I was offered a Multi-Ethnic Affairs Scholarship back then and started studying at USP in 2013,” Mr Prasad said.

“Two months into USP in my first year first semester, my dad passed away. It came as a great shock and caused a lot of trauma.

“My mum, who I stay with, is partially blind and it was a struggle for her as well.

“The biggest thing she had to accept was when I had to live in Nadi for a year well into my third year at USP in 2015 which was a prerequisite for my programme.

“I had been accepted as an intern at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa.

“After returning from my stint with InterContinental, I was offered a position at Fiji Sun and at the same time I completed my final year of degree.

“Throughout my four years at university I had to work full-time and juggle school full-time.

“I am proud to say that I did not have to prolong my course and completed in the expected time knowing the hard time I had to go through.

“I managed to balance out my school life, work and social life.”

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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