Maraiah Lolohea has swapped the wards of CWM Hospital for the frontlines of Fiji’s corrections service, graduating as a corrections officer yesterday at Naboro after 11 years as a registered nurse. The single mother of two was among 95 recruits who completed the 14-week training course and was awarded the prestigious Commissioner’s Book Prize as one of the cohort’s standouts.
Lolohea made the career change after more than a decade with the Ministry of Health, where she worked as a registered nurse at CWM Hospital. Her graduation at Naboro marks a bold shift from clinical care to custodial responsibilities, a transition she described as both daunting and deeply personal. She was recognised at the ceremony for academic or overall excellence with the Commissioner’s Book Prize — an accolade singled out by organisers as one of the highest honours for a new officer.
The path to the podium was not straightforward. In the second week of the 14-week programme Lolohea suffered a fractured rib, an injury that threatened to halt her training. Despite the setback, she pressed on through the physical and mental demands of the course, completing the full programme and earning top recognition. Officials at Naboro highlighted her recovery and perseverance as emblematic of the determination shown by many in the graduating class.
Lolohea credited her children as her primary motivation for continuing when the injury and uncertainty made quitting a real option. As a single mother, she said the decision to change careers and the drive to finish the course were grounded in the desire to provide stability and set an example of resilience. “The challenge taught me resilience and grit,” she said, adding that courage, hard work and love helped her overcome one of the toughest setbacks she has faced.
Her success will place Lolohea among the newest cohort of officers deployed to the corrections service, though specific postings and duties for the graduates were not disclosed at the ceremony. The graduation of 95 officers signals a continued intake of personnel into the service, reflecting ongoing efforts to staff correctional facilities across the country.
Lolohea’s move from nursing into corrections and her rise to receive the Commissioner’s Book Prize underscores a broader personal and professional reinvention. Her story — overcoming injury, balancing single parenthood and changing careers — was celebrated by colleagues at Naboro as an example of the resilience the service aims to foster in its ranks.
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