Eight years of tertiary education has finally come into fruition for veterinarian Wati Mocevakaca after receiving her master’s in Agriculture from the Fiji National University.
Ms Mocevakaca pursued a two-year master’s study and research focusing on “dairy production dynamics, prevalence and antibiotics sensitivity patterns of bacteria isolated from calf diarrhoea in Fiji”.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, the Lauan lass walked across the stage to receive her certificate, as her parents watched proudly from the stands.
Looking back on her academic journey, she said it was one of the longest journey she has ever embarked on — but worth every sweat.
“Nothing beats how I am feeling at this moment,” Ms Mocevakaca said.
“I am filled with so much emotions because looking back at my academic career, I have come a long way from that young girl who did not have an inkling of what was to come.
“It is a special event for me and my whole family. My grandmother made my beautiful ‘salusalu’ (garland) which represents where I come from in Fiji.”
In 2021, she was awarded the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) PASS-CR Scholarship after graduating with a bachelor’s in veterinary science.
She shared her difficulties of juggling personal and academic responsibilities, while stressing the significance of time management.
“It’s been a long journey, and I am proud that I can truly say all the hard work has paid off.
“At the end of the day, I’m just happy that I was able to come out with something so special and I want to thank my sponsors ACIAR and FNU.”
Ms Mocevakaca said it was essential to find a balance between academic and personal life to maintain an overall mental and physical well-being.
“With masters, there is a lot of reading, studying and research, so balancing school and family time was hard.
“The past two years was filled with a lot of ups and downs in my life, but I was very fortunate that I had a good support system — my friends, family, and my colleagues were able to push me to graduate.
“For me personally I had to overcome time management as well as prioritising tasks and goals.”
Ms Mocevaka urges women to not limit themselves to what society tells them they should be.
“There’s a long line of women that have graduated before me and I encourage all women to not let male-dominated fields be an obstacle.
“This is a good field, it has taught me to become sustainable, to be technical and preserve nature.”
Ms Mocevakaca said she is currently employed at the Ministry of Agriculture in hopes of helping farmers around the country.
“I’d like to utilise the skills and technical knowledge that I’ve learned from my education and hope to improve the dairy industry in Fiji.
“And perhaps by next year, I aim to further my studies with my (Doctor of Philosophy) PhD.”
