Samoan student achieves academic success and sporting achievements
Honsol Chan Tung calls Samoa home, but is currently in Australia studying a Master of Financial Analysis (Investment) at La Trobe University. He was the winner of a Prime Minister’s Pacific Australia Award in 2012 and was also granted an Australian Award from AusAID for postgraduate studies.
Honsol has a young family back home in Samoa and has found being separated from them quite tough, but prayer and support from his family has helped him through. Honsol has actually found acclimatising to Melbourne’s weather the hardest thing about adjusting to life in Melbourne, compared to Samoa’s warm climate, Melbourne’s weather is freezing!
Honsol joined the Eltham Rugby Union Football Club and it has helped him enjoy his time in Melbourne and make new friends.
‘Playing rugby in different areas is an experience and after the matches is fun. Socialising together with our own team and the opposition is enjoyable,’ says Honsol.
Although Honsol is still in the process of completing his degree, some highlights of his time in Melbourne have already become apparent.
‘A highlight of my time is receiving a letter from the Head of Accounting congratulating me for achieving an outstanding result in one of the units that I took in semester 1, 2012. And another highlight is receiving the PMPA Award,’ says Honsol.
He has found the La Trobe University community friendly and helpful and explains that you can always get your questions answered by people on campus, or at least be pointed in the right direction. Honsol was lucky enough to have his sister help guide him around on his first few days as she also studies at La Trobe University.
Honsol considers himself very lucky to be able to study in Australia, and can’t wait to use what he’s learned here back in Samoa.
‘Australia is a model and booming economy at the moment. I am so fortunate and humbled to be in such a great and beautiful country. Australia is so developed as compared to Samoa where I am from. Studying in Australia has made me aware of the infrastructure, such as technology and access to quality learning materials and excellent lecturers on campus. I now have the opportunity to focus on studies and get to experience the Australian way of life, which I did not have while in Samoa and also studying in Fiji.
‘I think the knowledge gained here will help me prepare for any work opportunities relating to finance, such as conducting research and producing more accurate and complete reporting or financial analysis if or when required.
‘I will be back working in Samoa after I graduate and I hope to make a contribution to my country in whatever way I can,’ says Honsol.
