Mother’s love carries Amenio to the Bar

“E na vuku ni liga loloma nei Nau au mai rawata kina na qaqa.”

Meaning, “Because of the loving hands of my mother, I have achieved victory.”

Those emotional words from 24-year-old Amenio Tuilevu summed up the journey behind his admission to the Bar in Suva today.

Raised by a single mother, Adi Ema Nava, Mr Tuilevu became the first lawyer in his family after completing four years of law studies at the University of the South Pacific and six months of professional training.

For him, the achievement is as much about his mother as it is about himself.

Her love, encouragement and support, he said, “carried me forward” through the difficult moments. The journey was not easy.

Mr Tuilevu said there were times when the pressure of his studies became difficult, but he relied on his family, friends, lecturers, tutors and church to keep going.

“It’s not a journey that you can accomplish alone,” he said.

Ironically, becoming a lawyer was never his original dream. He wanted to become an electrician, but his mother encouraged him to pursue law.

Four years later, that unexpected decision has taken him into the legal profession.

Standing among Fiji’s newest lawyers today, Mr Tuilevu said his achievement was a reminder of what can happen when people refuse to give up and allow others to help them along the way.

His message to students still struggling is simple.

“Please pray and lean on your lecturers and your friends.”

For Mr Tuilevu, the Bar admission was not simply the end of his studies. It was a victory shared with the mother whose sacrifices helped make it possible.