Sanita Baleinayawa has set the standard in many ways for her family in reaching as far as she has in her academic career. Following the completion of her degree in public health, she is now close to completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Climate Change at The University of the South Pacific (USP).
From having an interest in joining the military early on in her childhood to completing a program in medical school, and now pursuing climate change studies, Ms. Baleinayawa said choosing to further her education at USP changed her perspective.
“I have two wonderful children and a very supportive family, my dad is a farmer, and my mom stays home so I grew up with my uncle, who is my mentor,” she added.
“One good thing about having the internet is that it can take you places so when I was at home one day and thought of returning to school, I scrolled through the USP programme page, and I came across the climate change programme. I started reading through and knew this is exactly what I needed to do next. I have never regretted it since then. I am so grateful, and I just love it here at USP.”
The 27-year-old said, “I come from Lakeba, Lau and to be from Fiji or anywhere else surrounded by the sea, who wouldn’t love to be studying by the sea? I think that’s one of the things I love about USP, for those of us studying climate change or applied science programmes we are situated just by the sea.”
“The facilities are great, they are up to par with international standards, and you can get all your research and assignments done with the library resources available on campus and even online. Since COVID-19, a lot has shifted online, and students can also easily access reading resources from the library online,” Ms Baleinayawa added.
Ms Baleinayawa encourages those looking to start or continue their studies to take each opportunity as a blessing and work hard towards their goal.
“When you reach a certain stage in life, you will look back and say wow, I did all that. It would give you that feeling of appreciation for how far you have come. As young people, we have all the time and energy in the world to just keep pushing higher and higher,” she added.
Ms Baleinayawa is currently working on a Research Project in Climate Change, a prerequisite for her Masters degree and her research topic is focused on “Farmers’ Perception of Climate Change Impact on Taro in Sigatoka Valley, Fiji”.
USP is moving from being predominantly a teaching university to one excelling in research. This year, USP was ranked for the second time in a row on the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings after making it for the first time in the 2022 rankings.
USP was also ranked in three subject areas on the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject in Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and for the first time in the subject of Business and Economics, with work continuing to have other subject areas in rankings as such. USP’s commitment to delivering quality education and conducting innovative research is the foundation of its Strategic Plan aiding young people in the Pacific region to achieve their goals in academia.
USP’s admissions are now open. New applicants or those resuming studies can now apply for admission for Semester 1, 2023.
Source: USP Press Release
