MANY Fijians know Alisi Rabukawaqa Nacewa as a young Fijian girl who rose to fame when she won the Miss Hibiscus pageant in 2011 before making a mark as well in the South Pacific pageant in the same year when she was crowned Miss South Pacific.
Alisi, however, is more than just about beauty pageants because she is one of the few dedicated Fijians who want to make sure that our environment is kept clean and that we as human beings, do not only think of ourselves but of those around us.
Full name: Alisi Tokalau Dimaicakau Rabukawaqa
Age: 28
Lives in: Wailoku, Suva
What inspires you to be the person that you are? My faith, my family, my experiences in life
What would you describe as your passion in life and how are you going about realising it? I grew up in a traditionally religious and spiritual Methodist home. Just recently have I reflected more deeply on this question and I now know that my passion is to use my knowledge and my experiences to share about my faith, to share about how God has led me to where I am and blessed me so abundantly and that inevitably it is all about bringing him back to the centre of all that I do. It will take dedication and commitment, prayer, fasting and communion and hard work.
What would you consider to be the most memorable in your career? While sharing the exact achievement may not be proper, I can say that it was the moment I realised that as young as I am, I could also make a huge contribution to the organisation I worked for and pave the way for some great work down the line for future conservationists.
* I am obsessed: iTaukei culture and history, our oral unwritten history that has been shared for generations in our family. History that says that when Lutunasobasoba came into Vuda, smoke was already rising from the fires of homes in Ra but to this day it is still being debated by others.
* I can’t live without: acknowledging God daily, my family and my friends.
* I am proud of: my faith, my heritage, my culture and tradition and my country.
* Wish I could change: how Fijians treat their environment. Specifically how we litter without a second thought. It is such a small change in our actions that if we consciously and continually work towards proper waste disposal, we would have a much cleaner and healthier Fiji.
* Really need to: revisit my love for baking. It was a must-do for me every Sunday growing up with my grandmother and I lost touch with it when she passed away.
* Can’t stand it when people give trolls on social media attention and validate them.
* I look back and: am thankful for the lessons learnt from my past, and wish I had listened to my parents more. A wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others. There are many valuable lessons in the experiences of our elders on pitfalls we can avoid in life.
* I relax by: watching TV show marathons
* I am excited about: the future, there is always so many possibilities and so many opportunities to do good work and bless others as well as future generations.
* I have always wanted: to go skydiving so yeah, if anyone reads this and wants to take me skydiving, YES!
* Biggest weakness: trying to pay attention to long winded speeches at conferences/workshops/meetings.
* List of favourite things: if we are just talking materialistic things here then it has to be my serutaku or comb, this buiniga does not get itself shaped up on its own, this really beautiful shell that I found on a recent trip to Kubulau in Bua that no one in the community could identify at all, and my laptop.
* Opinion on the state of the world: Warning, I may be going into hippie mode but if we saw every living thing as a sentient being and I’m talking from the insects, to the birds, all marine life, animals on land and even the plants things, and if we took just what we needed things would be so different.
* Mother always told me: to get an education, graduate, get a job, enjoy my life and when I was done then settle down
* My attitude to exercise: in my mind I am a fitness fanatic
* My relationship with my body: and I encourage us all to love ourselves and our body types and shapes
* Favourite food: Ota in miti and dalo
* Favourite drink: Homemade fruit juice or whatever is available and in season (I bought a juicer just to make it easier).
* Favourite book: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I first read it over 12 years ago and a few more times since and I still cannot articulate how Scarlett O’Hara’s fight for survival made me feel.
* Favourite movies: Down Periscope – it is still one of those movies that I can watch over and over.
* Mentor since childhood: I don’t have specific people but actions of people that made me say “I want to do that too”.
* Favourite quote: “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
* Person you would love to meet: Sylvia Earle
* Advice to young children: Hold on to your childhood for as long as you can; don’t be in a hurry to grow up.
