Mothers inspire and motivate their children to be better versions of themselves.
They do this by being an exemplary leader who uses power for the service of others.
That is exactly what Selai Marama Nawai believes in.
The proud single mother of three was among 223 courageous men and women from Fiji and Tuvalu who recently graduated from the Fiji Police Training Academy in Nasova.
The Ra woman endured hardships early in life, but through her three boys she discovered herself.
“I became a single mother when my first child was just three months old,” Ms Nawai said.
“Life in the beginning was hard, but after having three sons — Esava, Rauri and Manoa — my desire to become the best mother burned deep within me.”
Ms Nawai was just a baby when her maternal grandparents took her in. For this reason she’s forever extremely grateful and blessed to have them in her life.
Her daily childhood routine during her childhood years on a farm in the village of Bucalevu consisted of waking up early to walk 30 km to school.
“I had to cross rivers. I walked 30 km from our farm to school, but I never lost hope.
“I taught myself to keep striving for the best things in life and keep pushing to make sure I was well taken care of.
“My grandparents always motivated me to be someone in life.”
She remembers doing her best to win prizes in school so that she could make her grandparents proud.
“Though life wasn’t easy, I would always try my best to surprise my grandfather at the end of the school term as a token of gratitude for what they did for me.”
Before venturing out to become a policewoman, she had always dreamed of becoming a doctor, but due to life’s hardships that dream was short-lived..
“Unfortunately, my grandparents didn’t have the financial capabilities to pay for my fees,” she said.
Ms Nawai did not let this stop her from trying to achieve her best, so she took it upon herself to pursue a diploma and become an industrial laboratory technician.
After graduating on December 12, 2014, she made the decision that once she found employment, she would continue her studies.
“I understand what it was like to be brought up by grandparents who were old and didn’t have much money to support my education. It was hard but I didn’t let that stop me,” Ms Nawai said.
Over the years, Ms Nawai worked for the Fiji Sugar Corporation at Rarawai in Ba as a seasonal laboratory technician.
“I was at home on a random day and saw my friends sharing about the police recruitment for Batch 67 on social media,” Ms Nawai said.
“My eyes immediately went to the age requirement ’20 to 35 years’, which made me even more hyped even though being a policewoman wasn’t my initial aim.
“Deep inside me I felt a sense of happiness I had never felt before, so I decided to give it a try.
“I politely asked my aunt to look after my sons so I could attempt the application.”
Ms Nawai could not contain her happiness after seeing her name listed on the Fiji Police Force Facebook page as one of the chosen candidates.
“Leaving my kids in the village to go for my interview in Lautoka was hard,” she said.
She had sleepless nights and shed tears while enduring her six weeks of training.
“I soon adapted to the environment, remained focused with the thought of my family and kids at home,” she said.
Ms Nawai felt emotional on the day of the passing-out parade, reminiscing about the hard work she had put in to become a policewoman.
“I’m happy to have passed all my exams and training,” she said.
“I was so happy to see my family and my sons smiling at me (on the big day). Just hearing their voices helped me to perform well during our parade.
“I can confidently say that I finally made it.”
Ms Nawai now resides in Ba and is currently based at the Ba Police Station.
