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ISSUE 8 | November 2021
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Proof that families can dream big and work hard together Limasina Unga remembers the struggles. She’d wake her two children at the crack of dawn to prepare them for the long day ahead, drop them off to kui, or grandma, who would ferry the kids to school while their mother went off to university. She remembers the long journey from their home in Blacktown to Australian Catholic University’s North Sydney Campus, where she studied hard for three years to attain her nursing qualification. “I always loved nursing, and if you want something in life, you have to work hard and go through some struggles to get it,” Limasina, who graduated in 2014, said. Limasina’s son Siosaia remembers it all, too. “Just seeing my mum while she was at ACU, waking at four in the morning to make our lunch, coming back home and cooking dinner and ironing our clothes, then studying late nights, it’s been really inspirational for me,” says Siosaia, 18. While a student at Patrician Brothers’ College in Blacktown, Siosaia Unga carved a name for himself as a gifted young rugby player, earning selection in a representative squad with the New South Wales Waratahs. But when he received an offer to study exercise and sports science at ACU’s new Blacktown Campus, just a stone’s throw from his family home, he decided to put his promising football career on hold. Siosaia’s interest in human physiology first piqued when his mother was studying nursing. He recalls opening Limasina’s textbooks with intrigue. “I’d look into her books and see stuff about the human body, about the way the body moves and how it works, and it really interested me,” he said. “As soon as I got my ACU offer, I sat down with my parents and talked about it, and I told them I want to put rugby to one side for now to concentrate on my studies. “For me, it feels like a really big opportunity to study sports science, to learn more about the human body and nutrition, things that really fascinate me.”
While the decision to put his footy career on hold came as a surprise to his family, Siosaia says he has no regrets about the path he’s chosen. “Sport has so many benefits – physical, mental and social – and it’s really had a positive impact on my life,” he said. “I want to learn more so that one day I can pass on that knowledge to others, to help people to be their best through sport and exercise.” Meanwhile, for Limasina, the news that her son would follow in her footsteps to study at ACU was a proud moment. “When he said, ‘Mum, I want to concentrate on one thing, I want to focus on my education’, that made me so proud. “Education has always been number one for me, and for him to make the decision to put all of his energy towards his education, it made me so happy.” It also takes Limasina back to when she was a newly arrived migrant at just 18 years old. Her father moved the family to Australia to give them the opportunities that weren’t available in Tonga. When she started her own young family, Limasina was initially hesitant to pursue her goal of studying nursing. Her husband Joye convinced her to chase her dream, and Limasina enrolled into nursing at ACU in 2011. She now works in the community, helping people living with disability.
Caitlin is there when people need her most. Caitlin ACU graduate
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“I love working in a field where I can help vulnerable people and over the years, I’ve found that’s what I’m really passionate about,” she said.
Ready to explore your opportunities at ACU Blacktown? Explore the range of courses on offer at acu.edu.au/courses
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