The School of Accounting, Finance, and Economics (SAFE) hosted an awards ceremony last Friday to honour the remarkable achievements of its first-year students in 2021.
The School awarded certificates to the top twenty-three first-year students who all achieved GPA scores of 4.0 or above in their eight courses. The recipients included nine males and fourteen females, of whom one was enrolled at USP’s Vanuatu Campus.
The two first-year students with the highest GPA, Esther Cakaunivere and Zainab Rasheeda received the Head of School’s award for the Most Outstanding First-Year Students and FJD 1,000 cash prize.
The Chief Guest at the awards ceremony was Digicel Fiji Regional Chief Executive Officer Ms Shally Jannif, and attendees included, parents, and University staff.
Acting Head of School of Accounting, Finance and Economics (SAFE), Dr Nacanieli Rika welcomed the guests and awardees at the event and encouraged students to demonstrate humility in success and graciously accept when someone else performed better.
He challenged pupils to think about two points: what they wanted to achieve in their lives, and how they could utilise their intelligence, ability, and skills to serve others.
Dr Rika further stressed the importance of cultivating community service within oneself.
It’s about developing skills; teamwork skills, communication skills, collaboration skills, and leadership skills.
Rika
Ms Jannif whilst congratulating the awardees highlighted it was a moment that students would remember fondly with pride for the rest of their lives.
In the haze and jubilance of your celebrations, my duty this evening is to provide you with encouragement and wisdom to help you navigate the rest of your student journey.
Things will get exciting as your student journey progresses; the pace quickens. During my time as a student, we frequently found ourselves floundering, looking for good measure or an opportunity to find our feet. That is when training is essential, and these words of encouragement can be your anchor or the wind beneath your sails.
Jannif
Esther, a Bachelor of Commerce student in Accounting and Economics, credited her achievement to the almighty God and said
He has helped me through tough moments that I couldn’t share with anyone else.
She also credited her achievement to her family and her father, who always prayed for her wellbeing.
My family always had faith in me and supported me with every decision I made. They pushed me to become better academically and in my own life.
Esther
Zainab Rasheeda, a Bachelor of Commerce student in Professional Accounting expressed her delight at receiving the award and prize.
I greatly owe my achievements to my parents. I wouldn’t have achieved this without their support and motivation.
Rasheeda
She advised students to work hard and learn to manage their time wisely.