Many alumni and students of Yat Sen Secondary School know him as Paul Young, or simply “Master Young”. Few, however, know that his official name is actually Rusiate Levaiono, the name recorded on his birth certificate.
For more than three decades, Master Young has been a familiar face at Yat Sen Secondary School. He first joined the school in 1992 as a Physical Education and Fijian language teacher.
His path to Yat Sen began at Marist Brothers Primary School and later Marist Brothers High School.
There, he adopted his Catholic name – Paul and his father’s family name – Young as his name.
After spending some time working with the Bureau of Statistics, he pursued teacher training at Corpus Christi Teachers College.
He was then posted to several schools, including Xavier College in Ba.
After retiring from teaching in 2009, he remained part of the school community through the Chinese Education Society and today serves as the school’s administration officer.
Looking back on his first days at Yat Sen, Master Young recalls being surprised by the environment.
“The first time I came to Yat Sen, I had a bit of a culture shock, especially hearing some of the students speaking in Chinese during their classes. It was different from the Chinese I used to understand, which was the Cantonese dialect,” he said.
It did not take long for him to feel at home. “While teaching the students, I felt at home and I really enjoyed it because of the multi-ethnic and multicultural nature of the school. The students were very smart, very good.”
Over the years, the school became much more than a workplace.
“Yat Sen is quite unique. I have somewhat become a part of the community and I really am blessed. I have come to know a lot of students here, including the many others I taught outside of Yat Sen,” he said.
Now approaching his 73rd birthday, Master Young has no plans to slow down.
“To be able to still come to this school, hear the students outside and contribute to their learning and development is an honour,” he said.
Having witnessed Yat Sen’s growth over several decades, he remains optimistic about its future.
“There’s been significant growth in my many years here, including the students, teachers and even the infrastructure,” he said.
“The future is bright for Yat Sen. Now with digital learning coming in, the school will continue to excel and grow for another 40 years to come.”
As Yat Sen celebrates its 90th anniversary for primary and 40 years as a secondary school, Master Young says he is proud to have been part of its story.
“I congratulate the school and wish it all the best in the coming years.”
