Graduate fulfils his mother's wish
“I was excited to be there and my family was really excited. But it was also hard because I was looking forward to my mum witnessing this time.”
Timi’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and in the following year her condition became critical. Despite being halfway through his Master’s thesis, Timi moved back to Tuvalu to be with her.
“I wanted to put my Master’s on hold but she advised me to continue. She kept me going. I had to force myself to study to make her happy.”
Timi says it was a stressful time for the family and it was difficult to concentrate on his studies. He says the unreliable internet connection was a further challenge as he frequently needed to source information online from the library at Victoria.
Timi was grateful however, to have the support of his supervisor Professor John Pratt. “I could only contact my supervisor through email, and sometimes phone calls. He was great and enhanced my writing no end,” he says.
Timi persevered with his thesis, regularly studying twelve hours a day.
In February, Timi’s mother passed away.
It wasn’t the first time Timi’s mother had guided him towards formal education. Timi didn’t attend secondary school as a teenager because as the only male in the house, he took over the main household duties. But when he was eighteen, his mother persuaded him to go back to school and begin year nine in secondary school.
“I was so embarrassed to study with the young ones and I was so shy. I started learning English and in my first test I got four out of 100.” Determined to improve, Timi began studying at 4am every morning.
Over ten years later, Timi is now fluent in English and has several tertiary qualifications to go with his new Master of Arts in Criminology.
He says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the continual encouragement from his mother.
“I pushed myself because I made a promise to my mum and my grandmother when I was going to high school that I would be the best I can be. I know my mum is happy with my performance.”
Timi will return to his former role as an officer in the Tuvalu Police Service. He says his thesis, which explored the reasons behind Tuvalu’s low incarceration rates, has enhanced his understanding of how to integrate the existing customary way of solving disputes.
His research shows that the factors that produce low prison rates in Tuvalu are the social characteristics that reflect both the homogeneity of the population and Tuvalu’s egalitarian social relations.
Although returning to Tuvalu, Timi will continue to work with his supervisor, Professor John Pratt, on a book chapter for an edited collection on criminology issues in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and Latin America.