“If you are looking for a place to thrive and still be yourself, somewhere you don’t have to lose your identity, look no further. MIT is rooted in its culture; most importantly, they embrace who you are, which liberates you to shine your light.
I was able to find a job straight away with the help of my lecturers. I was also the very first Pasifika, and the first student of MIT, to be awarded the first-ever CPA Pacific Scholarship Award in 2022. Now I’m ready to do my CPA fully paid for.
I chose MIT because it was in Manukau and closer to everything – closer to home, closer to my kids’ school, and now close to my work. MIT is cultural-oriented, and the Pasifika flavour they have is very unique. I enjoyed the diverse environment we had at MIT. The amazing lecturers went out of their way to be available for us if we ever needed help to understand our studies. The Ask Me! team were extremely helpful in everything we needed help with. During my last year, it was really hard, but I managed to get through it with the help of the lecturers and my peers.
Before studying I was working in the field of administration and accounts. Then I had my two sons and took time off to look after them and be a carer for my grandmother. I wished to further my studies and because of my previous experience chose an accounting degree. It’s a good career, especially if you’re a mum. It’s natural. If you’re a mum, you’re basically running your own business (a family). You’re budgeting. It’s a good profession. It’s needed. All businesses need a good accountant to make them sustainable.
I tell my kids; you don’t have to be the smartest person in class. But you can be the hardest working and the one who helps the person next to you. That’s what I tried to do.”
Leata Catherine Tominiko Faitua
MIT graduate
