Proud Sharishma Seshni Lata.

Sharishma Seshni Lata is a shining example that dedication, determination, hard work and a positive attitude can help students achieve their dreams.

Lata recently graduated from Fiji National University (FNU) with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance). Although it took her eight years to graduate, she did not let anything stand in her way of getting the education that she so profoundly desired.

Coming from a farming background in Baulevu, Nausori, Lata after completing her Diploma in Business Accounting in 2010 decided to upgrade her qualification and enrolled in the Bachelor’s programme.

“I enrolled myself in the Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) programme in 2012 and graduated in 2020. It took me longer to complete the programme as I always believed in working hard to pay for my education,” she said.

From a young age, Lata inculcated in herself that hard work and perseverance are keys to success.

“Following the death of my mum, when I was 14-years-old, I started helping my dad in farming activities to support the family with an income source to raise my younger siblings and also assist with my first tertiary education at FNU,” she said.

In 2011, she lost her father when she was entering the workforce.

“Being the eldest in the family, I took the responsibility to take care of my siblings and to be a successful individual, I enrolled in the Bachelor’s programme to slowly upskill myself,” she said.

Lata currently works as an Accounts Receivable Executive at Digicel Fiji and gets her inspiration from her uncle, who is an accountant.

“My mentor was my younger uncle. He was an inspiration for our family, and he generated my interest in the field of accounting and finance. ”

“Also, our farming business required a lot of day to day small cash handling, managing cash intake and spending on daily basic needs. This necessitated proper controlling of finance which motivated me to undertake a Diploma in Business Accounting and later Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance,” explained Lata.

According to Lata, FNU has provided her with an intellectual and practical capacity to make informed decisions. There wasn’t any time where she felt she had made a wrong career choice.

“FNU has provided me with critical working knowledge and experience necessary for me to succeed in my career. I started as a volunteer at Fiji Council of Social Services, a non-governmental organisation where I was an attaché before my Diploma graduation.”

“Later, I was absorbed as an assistant finance officer in the same organisation. Amid my Bachelor’s programme, I received my promotion as finance officer where I worked for ten years. And before my graduation, I found a career in a multi-national corporation (Digicel). All this was achieved through the knowledge and experience gained over the year through FNU,” she highlighted.

Lata now plans to undertake studies to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).