People choose their careers for various reasons, including financial stability, work-life quality, and personal passion. For Eseta Taleimaivavalagi, caregiving was her personal calling.
The 23-year-old from Rotuma was among 39 graduates from the Mauri Professional Caregiving Institute who recently received a certificate III in individual support and community care.
A former Suva Grammar School student, Taleimaivavalagi attended the University of the South Pacific in 2019 to pursue a law degree but later decided to take a break. During this hiatus, she learned about the certificate III course in individual support and community care.
“I found out about this course because the Mauri Professional Caregiving Institute is a Rotuman institute and a lot of Rotumans were notified because the word had spread so fast,” she said.
The transition from law to caregiving was not difficult for Taleimaivavalagi, as she already had caregiving experience, which matched her cultural background and family values on compassion.
“I am a caregiver at home. I looked after my grandparents,” she shared.
She believes that through this job, God showed her that helping the vulnerable was her true calling. “To be honest, when I started attending my classes and going for my practicals, everything was just lovely. It was worth it, you know. Now all of the traveling and waking up at 3 am to go for my classes and being on time have paid off.”
Now that she’s graduated, Taleimaivavalagi hopes to return to university to complete her law degree. “I am still hoping to finish my law degree, so fingers crossed I can do that since I’m now done with this course and graduated.”
She acknowledged her family and fiancé for being her biggest supporters during her academic journey. “They really helped me a lot through this,” she said.
Her advice to aspiring caregivers is to have a genuine passion for the field. “If you don’t have the passion for this field, then I don’t think this field is for you. You need to have patience and treat it as a personal calling.”