Shivnesh Anushil Prasad knew he had a legacy to uphold after his brother became the Dux and head­boy of Naleba College in 2016.

At the beginning of this year, Shivnesh achieved the first goal when he was an­nounced the headboy. And as the world sud­denly grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, to anyone it seemed all the more daunting.

However, the 19-year-old of Naiviti, Wa­vuwavu, who comes from a humble back­ground, said although his studies became affected, he adjusted to the new norm.

Using email to ask his teachers questions during the months of school break was a very helpful tool that aided in his achieve­ment.

“Nothing is impossible and we need to work hard to become successful,” Shivinesh said.

“During the long break as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I continued to study and emailed my teachers, asking them ques­tions and their feedback was really helpful,” he said.

“It was challenging at first and very hard but using email to correspond with my teachers was a great help and boosted my self-esteem.”

Shivinesh aspires to become an accountant after completing his studies at the Univer­sity of the South Pacific. He wants to pursue a Bachelor of Information and Accounting and also become like his brother, Rinesh, who works as an accountant in Suva.

OTHER AWARDS: OVERALL HIGHEST

n Year 9: Reeha Devi

n Year 10: Shania Chand

n Year 11: Rahul Chand

n Year 12: Priyanka Chand

n Almelu Award Recipient: Kaushik Pras­ad Year 13.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa