FOUR years of hard work and perseverance finally came to fruition when Emosi Naitoko graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Fiji yesterday.
The 22-year-old Kabariki, Kadavu, lad with maternal links to Vuna, Taveuni, was among 308 graduates who received their certificates and accolades during the graduation ceremony at the Saweni campus in Lautoka.
Mr Naitoko said his course also included internships for each year, and the one at the St Giles Hospital in Suva piqued his interest in mental health care.
“It really showed a lot about the struggles that people face, the unseen or hidden struggles that people go through mentally,” Mr Naitoko said.
“You may look well on the outside, but you don’t know what’s going on inside their mental well-being and their state of mental well-being.
“So, it really gave me a perspective on people’s different struggles that they go through from day to day.”
Mr Naitoko said studying came with numerous challenges, including when some of his colleagues could not complete the full program.
“I was a private student in my first year, so that was a struggle for me, and then I applied for the TELS scheme in my second year. In my first year, I struggled with a lot with fee payments. It was unpaid until my final year, and then we had to do lots of things to get my fees paid off for graduation.”
Mr Naitoko urged other youths pursuing further education to be careful of the company they choose to keep in the years they are studying.
“Do not give in to peer pressure and be determined about what you want to achieve in life, and have a good system from home, from school and from friends as well. Choose the right friends that you hang around with.
“Some people drag you down, and some people uplift you.”
Mr Naitoko plans to secure employment before he upgrades his qualifications.
