Shavneil Chand.

Spending close to eight hours on campus for the last four years made the Fiji National University (FNU) home away from home for top Engineering student Shavneil Chand.

His dedication and commitment to tertiary learning was rewarded when Chand received the Telecom Fiji Ltd (TFL) Prize for Topper in Engineering and Information Technology at the FNU graduation ceremony held last month.

“We used to spend almost eight to 10 hours on campus every day, staying late and coming in early to meet due dates of all assessments and projects,” Chand  explained.

The 24-year-old graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Electrical (First Class) alongside his twin brother, Shavin Chand from the College of Engineering, Science and Technology (CEST).

Fascinated from a young age about how electricity is generated, Chand enrolled into this programme to understand and become qualified in the field of electrical engineering.

“When I was young, I always wanted to know where electricity is generated from and how everything works.

Upon completing our secondary education, my twin brother and I were both awarded the National Toppers Scheme (NTS) and both enrolled at FNU to study electrical engineering,” he said.

The former Vashist Muni High School student says the lecturers and tutors at FNU were critical in contributing to the students’ success.

“The service provided at FNU is great. The workshops were always up to date and the equipment was kept well by the lab technicians. Our lecturers and tutors always tried to explain to us the concepts in a simple manner for easier understanding.”

“Our lecturers were always approachable and still accommodate our queries about projects and assignments after the teaching hours.”

Chand was one of the 512 students who graduated from the College of Engineering, Science and Technology.