UQSPIA CLASS OF 2016 ALUM
Salaseini Kurusiga Raiwalui - Fijian
Masters of Governance and Public Policy
"Whilst the offer of an Australian Awards scholarship by DFAT to pursue a Masters degree at the University of Queensland is a dream come true for someone like me, having to be separated from my family and loved ones for two years to pursue this dream had been an extremely difficult and challenging one. Pursuing my Masters degree in Public policy and governance is something that I believe will assist me in my career as a Public Servant in the Fijian government particularly in the areas of government policy formulation and it has also enabled me to further my understanding of the difficulties that grassroots communities have in terms of pursuing development strategies to improve their wellbeing. But as I reminisce about my 2-year study, it had not been an easy road. I can only thank the Almighty for giving me the courage and willpower to always strive for the best no matter the circumstance. I also thank the Almighty for giving me a glimpse of my UQSPIA family, one that took me in and genuinely understood the difficulties that one from the islands could potentially face on foreign ground. To be worthy of gestures such as a smile or simply a ‘Bula’ wave, a high-five after submitting an assignment even in the worlds’ quietest rooms in Duhig and being treated with a lot of love and respect are some of the things that made me cope a lot better with life. I met a lot of inspirational people, some not only capable of running a country some time later in the future, but some young Pacific men and women, passionate about the Pacific culture and keeping the Pacific fire alive. As much as I was in UQ to learn, I also learnt from these young ones and most of all for upholding the Pacific way of life which was to live simply in humility, love more, respect your elders but most of all, to keep the faith and trust in God alone. For that, I can only be grateful for catching only a glimpse of UQSPIA and I am excited to see what UQSPIA is prospering to flourish into.
Vinaka vakalevu UQSPIA family."
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