Melania Tora’s Journey of Faith, Advocacy and Academics
For many, Melania Tora is more than just a familiar face. Wearing multiple hats, Tora is the reigning Miss Hibiscus, a youth leader in her church, a researcher, an advocate and a proud big sister to her only brother.
In addition to this, Tora is currently pursuing a Masters in Psychology at The University of the South Pacific (USP).
Hailing from Natalau, Sabeto in Nadi, Fiji with maternal links to Daliconi, Vanua Balavu in Lau, she also holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology with distinction from Deakin University, Australia.
Tora has also completed her Postgraduate studies in Psychology at The University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
When she transferred from high school in Sydney to International School Suva (ISS), Tora discovered her passion for Psychology after taking it as a replacement subject.
It was random, but from the first class, I fell in love with it. I’ve always wanted to know about myself and about why people act the way they do. Studying Psychology ignited that curiosity into a passion.
Tora
Tora is now in the second year of her Master’s programme at USP’s Laucala Campus.
Her research focuses on the prevalence and severity of childhood trauma among sex workers in Fiji. This is an area she felt compelled to study after witnessing the risks faced by sex workers.
She shared that choosing this as her thesis came after her mother ran for the Fiji general elections in 2022.
During her campaign, she was involved with the sex worker community here in Suva, and because of that I was able to hear their stories. I realized that there were a lot of risks that came with being a sex worker.
Tora reshared
After hearing their experiences firsthand, Tora began to consider how she could help through her passion for Psychology.
At that time, I was a postgraduate student and I saw the link between what they experienced in their childhood and what they were choosing to do in their adulthood.
Hopefully with this study, we can create preventative programs that will help deal with their childhood trauma, and steer them into a different direction.
Melania Tora
While Tora enjoys her studies, she also enjoys meeting new people, something she believes is a blessing brought by her role as Miss Hibiscus.
Having been crowned Miss Hibiscus 2024, Tora is grateful for the opportunity to connect with the community and help others have access to opportunities.
It gets overwhelming at times, because I’m very introverted, but I’ve always wanted an opportunity to connect with people on a deeper level.
When people are excited to meet me, not only does it mean a lot, I believe it’s a good way for me to build relationships.
Tora
She adds that although the role hasn’t been easy, her faith in God and the support from her loved ones have kept her grounded and motivated throughout her journey.
I had to rely on my faith in God, and make sure that I take time to communicate with him and stay in the word.
Tora also acknowledges the support of her mother, whom she regards as her mentor in life.
She had me very young, and I was able to see the growth and struggle she had to go through. With all that, she turned every struggle into a lesson and beautifully applied it in her life.
I admire how she juggles family, her career and being a mentor in the faith.
When it comes to International Women’s Day, the theme ‘Accelerate Action’ resonates deeply with the soft-spoken Tora.
It’s a lot easier for us to speak about certain issues or build a platform around advocacy.
At the same time, there are women and other vulnerable people out there, who don’t know who we are, so there’s a disconnection.
She emphasized the need for both women and men to take the initiative to start something in our communities.
It’s time for us to move beyond our boardrooms, and connect directly with both women, girls and other vulnerable populations.
Melania Tora
For Tora, her life is summed up in four words; “Love God, Love People”, and her advice to young women is that; “If God has called you to it, he will equip you”.
She encourages women and girls not to let physical surroundings or cultural aspects hold them back from stepping out of their comfort zones.