Sacrifices Pay Off for Former Journalist

Juggling work as a fulltime journalist while studying law is no easy feat. But nothing worth having comes easy, and former Fiji Sun and Fiji TV journalist, Monica Aguilar, can attest to it.

The 24-year-old, with Filipino descent, is grateful her six-year journey studying journalism and law at the University of the South Pacific has paid off.

On Friday she was joined by her parents, who witnessed her admission to the bar, before the Acting Chief Justice Kamal Kumar.

“I feel really excited because my six years of hard work has come to an end. It’s a milestone achievement for me, although I know this is just the start of my career,” she said.

“As you know, working as a journalist is a time consuming job. I remember my working hours wasn’t like any ordinary job. I would start from 8am and finish at 10pm or sometimes even midnight. It was a challenge, but I had a specific goal in my mind and that is to become a lawyer so I sacrificed a lot and worked hard towards it.”

Monica Aguilar (second from left) is congratulated by parents, Estrella and Moises Aguilar following her admission to the Bar by Acting Chief Justice Kamal Kumar at the Grand Pacific Hotel on August 7, 2020.

Ms Aguilar is the first lawyer in her family and has a younger sister, who is studying biomedical science in Australia.

According to her, since high school at St Joseph’s Secondary School,

her dream was always to become a corporate lawyer.

“Initially, I wanted to become a chief executive officer, but Accounting wasn’t my forte, so I thought why not just solve legal issues for companies and that is why I decided to switch to law.”

She said the biggest obstacle she had to overcome during her studies was learning how to balance and prioritise her time well.

“Being a full time journalist and studying law is not easy because they both demand a lot of time so if you want to pursue this field you have to learn to make certain sacrifices.”

She acknowledged her friends and family’s support throughout the years especially her parents and sister.