Spending time with family and visiting her mother in Vanua Levu is her favorite holiday activity. One that, an ecstatic Roselyne Reshmi Lata Maharaj can never get enough of.

Born and raised in a small suburb of Muanidevo in Dreketi, Maharaj is a role model to her community after graduating with a Post Graduate Certificate in Food Safety from Fiji National University’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) on May 3.

A total of 70 students graduated from CMNHS which included: 35 Undergraduates, 31 Postgraduates and four Masters. About 68 percent of graduates were females.

Taking her mother as an inspiration, the 43-year-old, now a mother of one herself—believes that her interest in the concept of food safety could be an example to other aspiring students.

“Food safety is very important to our daily lives because if you eat healthy then you will stay healthy.”

“A lot of people in my community lack nutritional knowledge and if they don’t understand the value and hygiene properties of food then it will affect their health,” Maharaj added.

According to her, this was also an important contributing factor to the rise in Non-Communicable Diseases trend in the country.

Currently, a Food and Nutrition teacher at the Sacred Heart College in Nasese, Suva, Maharaj said she would like to encourage more people to build interest in the field of food safety.

“I always motivate the students in my class and also the people in my community to develop safer and healthier habits.”

Maharaj went back to school after 12 years and said pursuing part time studies while managing her own family was challenging.

“My 20-year-old son and husband had been very supportive. They helped me in all the household chores so I could successfully finish my course.”

“I used the time I had in the evenings after my working hours and the weekends to cope with the demands of the course,” she highlighted.

Following the footsteps of her father, Maharaj graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Food Nutrition and Textiles in 2004 to become a teacher.

She now aims to pursue her Masters qualification in a few years’ time and hopes to continue advocating for healthier lifestyle among communities.