Slay Your Dragons - Sanaila’s Story

Amidst all that’s happening in the world today, it’s quite liberating to hear success stories coming out of this pandemic, much like the story of Sanaila Nakalatia.

It almost seems like a far throw for someone who grew up in humble beginnings in the village of Saioko in Ra and over the years managed to work his way to graduating with a Degree in Social Work from the Brigham Young University in Hawaii. The journey wasn’t an easy one for Sanaila. There were moments where he wanted to give up but it took courage and the spirit to ‘try again’ for Sanaila to rise above the odds and continue his journey towards success.

He started his education at the Nakorotubu District School near his village in Ra and once he reached form 3 his parents sent him to continue his studies at the LDS Church College in Tamavua. Everything was new for Sanaila and because of some wrong choices, he was forced to leave LDSCC and attend Muslim College for two years. After form 5 he returned to his home in Ra and told his parents to give him one more chance and send him back to LDS Church College to complete his senior years. His parents agreed.

“I was blessed to have returned to LDSCC for form 6. My first year I failed and so I decided to try again. After trying for the second time I still failed but this time by one mark. From that point onwards I lost all hope and felt like I was wasting my time and my parents money.”

The fear of failing is something every student despise. For Sanaila, it meant he was letting his parents down and that some members of his village were going to gossip about his failure. Luckily, Sanailas parents were loving and forgiving and didn’t shy away from encouraging their youngest son to get up and continue his journey to success. His parents, with the little that they had, offered to pay for at least one semester at the Fiji National University.

On his first day of school, Sanaila got a call from his Ward Bishop, Brother Buresova, who asked him how he was and what he was up to. After telling his Bishop his story, Brother Buresova offered to help Sanaila enroll into bridging and preliminary courses at the University of the South Pacific where he was teaching at that time. Of course, Sanaila took that opportunity and until today never forgot how much of a sacrifice his parents made for him and how much his Bishop believed so much in him to give him a chance to education.

After passing with straight A’s from USP, Sanaila went ahead and served his mission at the Australia Adelaide Mission. The road towards BHY Hawaii for Sanaila was narrowing once he met Rick and Jolyn Farrer during his mission who helped him with his University application and later on attended his wedding.

When I asked Sanaila about his struggles as a teenager, this was what he had to say.

“Peer pressure was a struggle and also learning proper English. School was hard mostly because I didn't always make the best decisions that influenced my performance (drugs, alcohol, and time spent outside of school). I was just a normal teenager who liked skipping school to go out with my friends and party. If there's one thing that I learned from this experience it would be: if you can have just one person believe in you, you will be set. My parents never told me that I wasted their money. Despite what other people said about me wasting my parents money, my parents always believed in me. They always pushed me to be the best that I can be, and here I am”.

Looking back at life, Sanaila never imagined it to be what it is today. He is now happily married and lives in Hawaii with a daughter that’s soon to turn 1. Sanaila is currently looking towards a Masters program to further his studies in Social Work. As a long-term goal, Sanaila wishes to one day return to Fiji and start Youth Programs that will help our youth stay motivated, always.

“My advice for children who have a similar story as mine would be to always have a goal in mind. Always remember the sacrifice of your parents. Always strive to make them proud by working smart rather than just working hard. You can be the hardest worker in the world, but by working hard you can learn to use your time wisely and achieve more than you could ever imagine! Never forget where you came from because remembering where you came from will always motivate you to be the best that you can be. Always be humble, don't think less of yourself just think of yourself less - turn outward and help. . .blessings will always come back to you”.

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Writers note:

Hi everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve update my blog but I felt the need to share Sanailas story for motivational purposes during these difficult times. Yes, Sanaila was my junior in high school and once I saw his post on Facebook I felt the need to interview him about his life story because if it inspired me, I’m pretty sure it would inspire many others.

I feel that there are many lessons from Sanailas story that we can all take away with us and that in any case, we truly are the dictators of our success and our future.

These truly have been the darkest days for many and so with this story, I hope you fine peace and motivation for yourself and your journey towards your goals.

Thank you so much Sanaila for allowing me to write about your life story. Truly inspiring.

Till next time,

Love,

D