When life hits rock bottom, there’s only one way to go – up.
This sums up the remarkable journey of Asta Sonner, a 26-year-old with a unique blend of Rotuman, Fijian, and German heritage, whose life story epitomises resilience and transformation.
Born in Germany, Asta’s early years were marked by travelling due to his family’s frequent relocation.
“At the age of 10 years old, we came to Fiji, my mum was Fijian, and my dad was German,” Asta said.
“My parents decided they wanted to spend their life, and for me to grow up, in Fiji.”
After spending a year in Fiji, the family moved to Rotuma before eventually returning to Viti Levu.
Asta attended Lomary primary and secondary schools, and completed only up to year 10, at Vashist Muni College in Navua.
Life took a dramatic turn when Asta was just 14. His parents’ marriage ended, and one day, he woke up to find his father gone.
“I remember that day very vividly, it was about 5:30am when I heard the car running outside,” he said, “I remember going to check on him because I thought he was going to the shop or something.”
“After some time, I couldn’t hear the sound of the engine, I thought he had turned the car off and would walk in.
But when Asta checked on his dad, the car was gone.
“Then I called him just to ask where he was and he told me, he was on his way back to Germany.
“So that was the moment when I dropped out of school.”
This sudden departure was a turning point for Asta. With his father gone, he had no stable home and later found himself evicted illegally by the landlord, resulting in the loss of all his belongings.
Asta eventually turned to the streets.
With very little money in his pocket, he would pay to use a computer at an internet café overnight, using his log in time and space to sleep.
“I would come in, pay and sleep in the corner.
“I went there for most of my nights until they found out what I was doing and kicked me out.
“Then I sort of transitioned to Sukuna Park and lived by the sea wall.
Being on the streets, Asta quickly mastered the art of begging.
On Thursdays and Fridays, he begged at a specific spot by FNPF Place where he thought he could get a lot of money.
“I would walk down and seem like I was in a rush and ask “excuse me, could I please get a few dollars I need to go home to Pacific Harbour.
“That was the only line I could say because ‘choking’ really didn’t work.
“With the money I collected, I would buy my food, my clothes and everything else.”
Amidst these challenges, Asta was taken in by a church-run music school, Kingdom Creative Arts (KCA), led by Pastor Ben and Libby Morrison.
He said despite this temporary reprieve, he soon found himself back on the streets due to a lack of job opportunities and qualification.
One night, while sleeping near Tikos Floating Restaurant at the Suva seawall, he was assaulted and thrown into the ocean by someone trying to steal from him.
“Because he didn’t find anything, they threw me over the sea wall and into the ocean.
“I climbed up a ramp and onto the watchtower of the boat.
“I looked up and I saw a warm light from an apartment building thinking to myself, that’s where I need to be and that’s my goal.”
So, the next day he took to the streets, begging again, this time not for survival but with an aspiration in mind.
He used the money he collected to learn how to create a CV and bought clothes to improve his chances of finding employment.
After tirelessly distributing his CV, he was eventually given a second chance at life by a Julliana Underwood of the Republican of Cappuccino.
“I was filled with the most joy and excitement, like I’ve never felt in my life.
“From there I would work and sleep at the internet shops occasionally, depending on who was working, because some of those guys recognised me.
“But I worked and saved until I was able to afford my own apartment.
Later, he met a guy, who asked if he knew how to do marketing.
He forced himself to say yes although he had no experience in the field.
“I was always constantly looking for ways to elevate my life.
“So, he took me in to work in their marketing team.
“I excelled in that, and managed to grow their business with over 50,000 followers.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asta saw an opportunity to assist the International Primary School in Pacific Harbour with transitioning to online learning.
“So, I came to learn about this through a friend when visiting the school.
“I saw the opportunity and offered my assistance.
“Because most of the teachers at that time, were kind of old school and not really computer literate, I managed to set up the class structures over zoom and assisted the teachers on how to use it.
“When covid restrictions were lifted, they offered me a job to teach computer science.”
Two years later he took on a role as a weigh bridge operator at Suva Port while running a small agency to help those in similar situations faced in the past.
“…I started a small agency to assist those who experienced what I experienced.
“Working on this agency at the port became exhausting for me. I would slowly get recognition and collaborate with companies from America, and I just didn’t have time to do both.”
His agency’s success led to the creation of Fiji’s first-ever AI, Avaia. Inspired by ChatGPT and its potential, Asta envisioned how AI could revolutionize business practices.
Today, Avaia stands as a testament to his journey from a street kid to becoming a pioneer in technology.
Reflecting on the path that brought him to Fiji, Asta expresses no regrets.
“All of my jobs were self-taught.
“When your next meal depends on it, you really will get to know how to do the job.
“If I could go back, I wouldn’t change anything becase despite what we’ve been through, I had the best parents ever.
“Sometimes a change of perspective is all you need to see the light.”
