Graduations to all our senior Pasifika students in their final high school year...

 Last night, we accompanied our eldest to her final high school year's senior prizegiving at Mt Roskill Grammar school, a progressive, liberal and highly competitive school but still caring of cultural diversity and inclusion. We thank God for her time there and the lessons that she's learned along the way.

Our eldest sat in the final row for prize winners who had won tertiary prizes, scholarships and had made important contributions to the school. It was a long but well-oiled prizegiving with many recipients and it was neat to see diversity displayed on the stage with many Pasifika, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, European etc. students walking up to receive their trophies, cups and/or certificates.

It was neat to see our eldest enjoying the evening with her friends and peers. It was quite a subdued affair with few shouting out, with only one haka tautoko performed for the Maori students who had gained certificates/trophies. Very different to the Wananga graduation ceremonies that I've now become accustomed.

I reflected on my final year of high school and how I 'collected' many prizes being in a Year 13 class of only 12 students and I was able to top Geography, Art and History and English being one of only a few or even the only one of my class. (Ha ha.)

Some would have said that that wouldn't have been an accurate reflection of my place if I had been in a large secondary school but it didn't make a difference because I still competed with students from other schools when we reached Uni and kept going when others dropped out.

So that was one of the reasons for why I opted for a larger grammar school (our eldest insisting for a co-ed school than the single-sex school that I would have preferred) to have that experience of working in an environment which was more indicative of the diversity of NZ society and at Uni.

Our eldest has had the opportunity that I only dreamed of, and she held her own, is a year ahead of her cohort, with me as a mother/teacher watching over and seeing how fast she was able to progress in the tenacity that she displayed and put her up a year so that she is one year younger than her peers.

That wasn't to put her off as I knew that she was able to rise to the challenge, in being a voracious reader and with her young soul having an interest in social justice at a young age, her acceptance into Law school at both Uni of Auckland and AUT, was easily chosen from when she received her Kiwa (Pacific Students) scholarship from AUT. She also received a senior Enterprise award for her contribution to the school in the many different spaces that she represented and walked in.

After prizegiving photos and well wishes and yes, I made some 'ula lole' (last minute in the car) as I had forgotten all about it whilst in Whakatane, we left with one of her prize-winning friends for a quick celebration at a local family restaurant.

We then drove to visit my parents and it was neat to share in a prayer and blessing with them in seeing their next-generation elder grandchild (from my line) continuing the legacy of working hard and succeeding in a given goal.

It reminded me of the lessons that I learned growing up, about believing in something bigger than yourself (having faith), of having a goal and working hard towards it (despite the obstacles), of never giving up and not forgetting your family or those giants who have walked before you and humbly walking with your God because these are the lessons that we learn not from school but from our faith, our families and of love...