In the quiet strength of Fiji’s highlands, far from the noise of city streets, lives a young man whose dreams reach far beyond the towering peaks that surround him.
Apenisa Tukana Saurara is 22 years old and a Year 13 student at Thomas Baker Secondary School in Navosa. The highlands of Navosa gave him a story of second chances, of resilience, and of a future shaped not by circumstance, but by choice.
Originally from Vatoa in Lau and raised in Vanua Levu, Apenisa’s life took a different turn when he followed a woman married into the nearby Nanoko Village.
He came to the highlands to farm but found something much more powerful, purpose.
“I was just going from place to place, uncertain of what my future held,” he shared softly. “When I came to Nanoko, it was for farming. But I realised I wanted more for myself. I wanted to rise above poverty and do something that would make my family proud. Education was the only path I saw that could take me there.”
So, Apenisa returned to the classroom, older than many of his classmates, but determined to walk a new path.
Now a pure science student, Apenisa dreams of becoming a nurse. But it doesn’t stop there. His aspirations stretch beyond medicine, into policy, leadership, and national change.
“I want to be a nurse because I want to help my people,” he said.
“One day, I also want to sit in Parliament to bring development to our rural communities, so that our children won’t have to leave their families just to find opportunity.”
His voice trembles with emotion as he reflects on the struggles faced by his peers.
“The roads are bad. All you see around us are mountains. If we want a better life, we must be willing to go beyond the mountains. We must fight for a future where our children don’t have to suffer as we did.”
That’s why the visit from the Fiji National University (FNU) team meant so much to him.
“We don’t have the resources here to make informed decisions about our future,” he said. “FNU made that long, difficult trip to get to us and because of that, we now know there are pathways we can take. They reminded us that we matter, too.”
“We don’t have the resources here to make informed decisions about our future,” he said. “FNU made that long, difficult trip to get to us, and because of that, we now know there are pathways we can take. They reminded us that we matter, too.”
“For the first time, my dreams have direction, and I am sure my classmates feel the same.
“People think leadership only comes from the cities, but future leaders live in the highlands, too,” he said. “We are ready. We are determined. We are not giving up.”
Apenisa’s story is just one of many uncovered in the highlands. Stories of struggle, strength, and stunning resilience. Stories of young people who, like the mountains around them, refuse to be moved by hardship, and who are trusting in education and in themselves to craft a better tomorrow at FNU.