ABOVE CHALLENGES TO EARN SCHOLARSHIP
Ratu Manoa applied for the scholarship early this year and received it recently. He is now waiting for his departure date and airline ticket. This scholarship will be for four years.
Life has always been a challenge for Ratu Manoa Misikana Rokotavaga, but that did not stop him from scoring 368 out of 400 in the Fiji Year 13 Examination.
Being raised single handedly by his mother was the motivating factor for Ratu Manoa to excel in his school work.
His study was sponsored by the Foundation for the Education of Needy Children (FENC) from Year Eight till Year 13.
Rewards come to those, who work tirelessly and next year he will be in Canberra under a scholarship from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) at Australian National University to pursue a Bachelor in Actuarial Studies.
The 18-year-old from Rewa, who attended Jai Narayan College in Suva, described the hardship his mother went through.
“I am the youngest of three children and being raised by my mother was difficult because we faced many challenges along the way,” Ratu Manoa said.
“These challenges motivated me to work hard so that I can look after my mother in future.”
He thanked FENC for its assistance.
“The first challenge I faced was financial difficulties, second was not having proper resources and thirdly was not having the parental support because at times my mother was employed in shift work,” Ratu Manoa said.
“My father left us when my mother was pregnant with me.” Ratu Manoa applied for the scholarship early this year and received it recently. He is now waiting for his departure date and airline ticket. This scholarship will be for four years.
“Life is full of challenges, but there is no limit to what you can achieve in life. You are either your biggest motivator or your biggest threat,” he said.
“In life, no matter what struggles you are going through always remain positive.”
His favourite Bible verse is Romans 8:31: ‘What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’.