Where did you grow up/study?
I grew up in Tonga and then moved to Australia when I was 17 to finish high school and studied for an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and later a master’s in Educational Leadership.

What attracted you to teach at CAIS?
CAIS stood out to me because of the opportunity to be involved with a school that has Christianity at its core. Being a Christian, it is important to be surrounded by other Christians in order to grow and for my children to learn and live a Christian life. I also wanted to get back to the IB curriculum. It is the educational framework that I strongly believe is the best so far in the world for 21st century students.

Biggest challenge and rewarding moment working in education?
The most challenging part of education is not being able to provide quality education for every child. Every child is different and catering for all your students’ needs can be very demanding and frustrating especially when the barriers are beyond your control. The most rewarding part of working in education is witnessing the success of the students that you have influenced their journey. Seeing a few of my former students play for the New Zealand All Blacks gives me a great sense of achievement even though I only taught them chemistry and had nothing to do with their development as rugby players.

What do you miss most about your home when you are overseas?
I always miss the face-to-face contact and evening chats with my family and close friends over the barbecue. I also miss life by the sea and doing what I love doing with my kids like kayaking, fishing off the rocks and snorkelling for seafood.

Can you share one of your favourite bible verses with us?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is one of the first verses that I learned. My dad shared and taught me this verse in the Tongan language when I was very young and it is one of my go-to verses when I need direction and confirmation of what is happening around me.