Scholarship helps Ravuikadavu succeed
Lavenia Rataiki Ravuikadavu of Drasa Lautoka, made her parents proud after completing her tertiary education and becoming a lawyer.
Ms Ravuikadavu completed her tertiary education pursuing Law at the University of Fiji after being successfully awarded the Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) in 2014.
She said she completed Year 13 in 2013 and received an acceptance letter from the University of Fiji in 2014,
“I was informed about the TELS and to my utmost delight I was accepted and assisted under the Loans Scheme.”
She said that the TELS was a blessing as she would not have been able to complete her tertiary qualification without the assistance.
“TELS played a significant role during my study – it basically provided me the much-needed financial assistance and support in terms of paying my fee for the four and a half years that I was in Law school,” she said.
“When I applied for TELS, I knew for a fact that my parents could not afford to pay for my fees hence the sponsorship was crucial during my academic journey as without it I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
She said the scholarship provided by the Fijian Government through TSLS provided her an opportunity to excel in a career of her choice and fulfil her parent’s dreams.
She said her father was a cane cutter at the time she was accepted at UniFiji. She said her father’s FNPF would not have been able to pay for one semester alone .
“I knew that I had to either get a scholarship or obtain a loan. And TELS made it possible for me.”
Ms Ravuikadavu now works for S Nand Lawyers.
She said her dream was to have a law firm of her own and she advised other sponsored students to study hard.
“My advice to other sponsored students is to study hard. Hard work is the key to success. Don’t indulge yourself too much in your youth and peer pressure. Know how to make time for fun and studies. So, study hard and make the most of the TELS scheme,” she said.