There's no time like the present...

Today I went to work in my jandals, I know typical Samoan (in Samoa it's perfectly fine) and got some wonderful news that one of the Year 3 Bachelor of Social work students that I had been supporting had passed her oral presentation exams, handed in her last essays and is set for graduation next year. Her story is simply inspirational.

This is absolutely amazing as (I know she won't mind me sharing her story) I met her as a Certificate of Social services, level 4 student some 3+ years ago. She was accepted into the degree programme and was a high performing student and was expected to cruise through this year being her last with sights set on graduation.

During the year, she'd ask me to check her essays and they were consistently on track, however, she had been experiencing headaches and thought it was migraines until she was sent to the hospital in August and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in her brain that needed urgent treatment. I was surprised to see her in September after her surgery looking very different.

Her radiation and treatments started and her hair fell out but she was fiercely determined to complete her degree. In her final presentation she taught me about some of the tools that she had learned: about having karakia (Maori word for prayer) every morning and evening; about having a daily 'gratitude' journal, a positive frame of mind and she smiled throughout her journey. She taught me that today is a present a gift to be cherished.