‘I had challenges at home, challenges at school and in between’
When Kolinio Cagi Laisenia graduated from the University of the South Pacific (USP) last month, his late father was the first person that came to mind.
“He believed in me and believed in what I can achieve,” Mr Laisenia said.
“When I was graduating that day – he was always on my mind.” Thirty-four-year-old Mr Laisenia was stricken with juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at eight years has since confined him to a wheelchair.
“I was brought up with this sickness which caused me to be admitted in the hospital for one and a half years,” he said.
“When I got this disability, I was encouraged to go back to school by my doctor and my dad.” Mr Laisenia described the reality of his two and a half years of study at USP with a physical disability.
“There were a lot challenges – sometimes I wanted to quit,” he said.
“I had challenges at home, challenges at school and in between.” Mr Laisenia was very thankful to his wife of six years, Emele Marama, who worked full-time to help provide the necessary support for his studies. The couple also have three children. “Studying sometimes was really stressful – I think the main challenge was transportation because I had to go by taxi not by bus,” he said.
“I’m thankful to my wife because at the same time she was working so she covered some of the costs.” But Mr Laisenia, who now proudly boasts a Diploma in Information Technology Level 5, only takes the positives from his experiences at USP.
“I count it as a building process for me – when you let those challenges keep you down, you won’t achieve anything,” he said. Mr Laisenia, who is the first member from his family to receive such an accreditation said his graduation day was an achievement he would never forget. “For me as a person confined in a wheelchair, I was excited and nervous,” he said.
“But first of all I am really grateful – in our family, from my mother’s side and my father’s side, I think I’m the first one to be awarded at this level.
“Even myself, I didn’t know I was inspiring anyone – after the graduation some of the graduates they came to me and said: ‘hey, you inspired us’.”
For Mr Laisenia, his childhood provided many challenges. After coming out of hospital he went on to attend three different schools. He eventually quit school due to the overwhelming challenges associated with his disability. “Up to Form Four (Year 10) it was about mindset, because I was the only disabled person in the school so it was challenging,” he said. “So when I reached Form Four, I quit school and I just stayed home – it was just too much of a challenge and my mindset was very small.”
Mr Laisenia’s late father was the biggest influence on his life, encouraging him to keep up with his studies. “One person I take my hat off to is my dad – he was the one who was pushing me: ‘to go to school, go to school’,” he said.
After his Father sadly passed away in 2002, Mr Laisenia then