Loss did not stop her, USP graduate honours parents’ dream

She lost her mother in her first semester and her father in her last.

Miriama Rokoleba, 25, still crossed the graduation stage at University of the South Pacific's Laucala Campus , carrying a promise made to a father who never got past Form 4.

Ms Rokoleba, 25, from Lutu, Naitasiri, graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Science. Her mother died in 2020 and her father passed away last semester, both after illness.

"Standing here, he told me to achieve higher than what he achieved,"Ms Rokoleba said. "So, standing here... yeah, I've achieved it."

She said if her parents could have been there, she knows what they would have told her.

"They would have said 'Vinaka luvequ na vuli' (Thank you daughter for the hard work in school) and one big hug," she said.

Raised by her maternal aunt after her parents' divorce and deaths, Ms Rokoleba is the eldest of four siblings, the youngest of whom is in Class 6. She credited her aunt entirely for holding the family together.

Despite her loss, she hopes to work in conservation and environmental management in Fiji — from waste management to broader efforts to protect the natural environment.

Her message to graduates: "Honour your parents who are still alive. Spend quality time with them. And then work towards your goals. As long as you achieve them, you can think of anything else."

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