Swastika Darshani was always good with numbers and never shyed away from a numerical challenge.  Being enticed with numbers, it was no doubt that Darshani would one day end up in field that allowed her to discover the logic behind complex equations.

“I loved working with numbers. During my high school, I used to score an A+ grade in accounting and maths, so I made up my mind to further dissect numbers and understand the logic behind it.  I realised that accounting was the field I could explore more,” she said.

Coming from a farming background, Darshani was born and raised in Nasoso, Nadi. She attended Sabeto Sangam School and Nadi Sangam SKM College. Her father is a Field Foreman at Fiji Airports Limited (FAL) and her mother is a homemaker.

Having made up her mind in the early days, Darshani enrolled in Diploma in Accounting programme at the Fiji National University’s (FNU), College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) at the Namaka Campus.

FNU’s Namaka Campus was near her home and offered programmes in Accounting.  Having the convenience without having to leave her home was comforting. 

“I chose FNU because it offered the course that I wanted to do and it was located near my house. FNU requires practical experience to graduate which allowed me to apply classroom learnings to the workplace. In addition, FNU also offers CPA reconginsed units which is a plus,” she stated.

For her 3 months practical attachment, she worked at Airports Fiji Limited as the Attaché Accounts Officer, a role which allowed her to practice what she had learnt in the classroom. Darshani graduated with a Diploma in Accounting in 2010.

After completing the Diploma programme, Darshani wanted to study further so she enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Information Systems) programme at FNU and completed her studies as a full-time student.

Reminiscing her university days, Darshani said, “I enjoyed my student life at FNU.  As a student, I was able to meet different aged, working people from different organisations, which allowed me to expand my network. Taking part in inter-tertiary and social activities and late-night study groups are my fondest memories.”

As a result of a combination between her experience and qualification, Darshani managed to secure full-time employment as an Accountant at Platinum Financial Service, an Australian company (accounting firm) based in Denarau, Nadi, as soon as she completed her studies in November 2011.

Darshani graduated in December 2011 and served the company on the same position for a little over three years. During this time, she was also given an opportunity to work in Sydney, Australia for three months at the company’s sister company Platinum Accountants and Advisors.

In February 2015, Darshani joined Fiji Airways as a Financial Analyst. After serving on the position for about three years, she was promoted to the position of Manager Performance Improvement & Projects in 2017. This is the position she currently serves on.

“My current job involves providing special assistance on projects, performing periodic analysis, reviews of performance including identification of performance trends and gap analysis and provide reports on strategic and operational initiatives or projects,” said Darshani.

Darshani is currently pursing her CPA.

Her advice to current and future students of FNU is to never lose hope, always be positive and stay focused to your goal.

She also shared her top three tips that she feels fresh graduates could benefit from.

“Firstly, create a positive brand – behavior creates the path to success and all you need to do is treat every opportunity like it’s the last. Secondly, have a work/ life balance – starting a new job can be mentally and physically taxing. However, you do not need to burn yourself out in your early days. Be sure to take care of your health and spend some time doing activities that invigorate you. Thirdly, be open to change – do not get discouraged when a job you really want does not pan out for you. It just opens up doors to other opportunities,” she shared.

Darshani credits her success to her family especially her parents and grandmother.