Sailasa dedicates degree to late mum

For Sailasa Turavu, Friday's graduation at the Vodafone Arena in Suva was more than just receiving a degree. It was a tribute to the woman he calls his greatest supporter in his late mother.

The 24-year-old from Talaulia Vil­lage with maternal ties to Nabuke­levu I Ra also in the province of Kadavu, graduated from the Uni­versity of the South Pacific (USP) with a Bachelor of Commerce, ma­joring in Accounting and Financial Mathematics.

Despite this achievement, his thoughts were on the loss of his mum.

"I lost my mother in 2024," he said emotionally: "I relied so much on her. When she left me, I felt idle and totally lost. I didn't know where to turn." For Mr Turavu, the past four years have been filled with hardship.

He admitted that life at home was never the same after his mother's passing.

"Things were not normal inside our house. We still feel the absence of my mother every single day;" he said.

" Yet, he chose to keep moving for­ward. Each assignment, each exam, became a promise he made to him­self and to his mother. "She is not here to witness this moment, but I know she is proud," he said.

"This degree belongs to her as much as it belongs to me. Some­times, the people we love the most become the reason we don't give up."

Mr Turavu is employed as a fi­nance officer with the Fiji Sun.