Grieving father graduates in honour of late wife and baby

When 32-year-old Taniela Mosilo walked across the graduation stage yesterday, the applause around him could not silence the weight he carried.

The Naivucini, Naitasiri father received his Certificate Level IV in Correctional Practices from the Fiji National University, but behind his quiet smile was a year of immense heartbreak.

Just two weeks before his passing-out from the Fiji Corrections Service earlier this year, his newborn son tragically died at birth.

A few weeks before graduation, he also lost his wife, the woman who had always encouraged him to stay in school when he wanted to give up.

“It’s her. She always motivated me,” he said. “I used to tell her I didn’t like school, but she kept pushing me. Even though she’s gone, I’m grateful for her.”

While his classmates laughed and celebrated, Mr Mosilo said his graduation day felt different.

“Everyone is enjoying their graduation… but for me, it’s not,” he said, fighting tears. “I’m doing this for the two people I miss the most.”

He now raises his two-year-old daughter, who lives with his parents in the village. Being a single father, he said, has been one of the hardest battles he has faced.

“For us men, it’s not easy,” he said. “If the father goes first, the mother can look after the children properly. But now it’s only me and my daughter.”

Still, she is the light that keeps him moving forward.

“She keeps me going. Everything I’m doing is for her,” he said.

Despite his grief, Mr Mosilo completed his programme and now looks forward to serving in the Fiji Corrections Service. Further studies, he said, will come later.

“Right now, my focus is to look after her. When she grows up, then I’ll continue my education.”

After surviving the darkest year of his life, he has a message for anyone struggling.

“Don’t let what you’re going through stop you. Behind every hardship, there is something good. Education has no limit; you can pursue it until the day death calls you.”

For Mr Mosilo, yesterday’s certificate was more than an academic achievement — it was a promise to keep going for his daughter and to honour the family he carries in his heart.