As celebrations marking Samoa’s 60th Independence anniversary continue at home and abroad, we strive to look out for Samoans who’ve excelled in their fields and are inspiring the next generation.

And we cannot not go past the success story of Samoan couple Saili Aukuso, 60, and her husband Levi Simeona Tavita, 64, who both graduated with doctorate degrees last week and were among graduates, at the Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha University of Canterbury graduation.

Surrounded by their family members, friends and loved ones as they celebrated their educational milestone, when they were among 1,500 graduating students to attend four graduation events.

Who says age is a barrier to education and success in your chosen profession or calling in life? The Samoan couple proved their sceptics wrong when they passed out with flying colours. 

Dr. Aukuso graduated with a PhD in education with her doctoral thesis focusing on early literacy development, while Dr. Tavita graduated with a PhD in Pacific Studies with a specific focus on power relations in Samoa.

Isn't it wonderful to see a Samoan couple set academic benchmarks for their peers and the younger generation of aspiring scholars from Pasifika and Samoan backgrounds with this milestone?

And for the Samoan couple, what a coincidence for them to graduate during the country’s  60th Independence anniversary celebration!

The fact that they were both born in Samoa before moving to Aotearoa has to be the icing on the cake, especially for those who might have doubts about their own success beyond the shores of our beautiful islands.

Regardless of whether you are in your early 20s or early 60s – if you have bucket loads of confidence, hard work and ambition then you can be assured that you will go places, if you embrace opportunities with both hands. 

According to Dr. Aukuso, the conferment of her PhD degree together with her partner meant they were meant to do it together. 

“I think it was meant to be for us to walk in the same ceremony," Dr. Aukuso said. "It means a lot to me and my family and I think it’s very unusual for a Samoan couple to be graduating with PhDs together. 

"We want to set an example, especially for the young ones.”

Dr. Tavita, who has a PhD in Pacific Studies focused on the dilemma of power relations in Samoa, and had family members travel from Australia and Hawaii to celebrate the occasion.

He said it wasn’t planned that he would graduate with Saili, but the timing for the both of them just worked out.

A director of the Niupac Trust in New Zealand which specialises in bilingual education, Dr. Tavita said he and his wife want to be useful with their newly acquired knowledge and empower others, mainly the young people. 

“It’s good to be useful," he says. “We also like to empower others, especially Pasifika youth.”

We congratulate Dr. Tavita and Dr. Aukuso on such a wonderful achievement, and must say we can already foresee the ripple effects that their PhD qualifications will have, on their aiga (family) as well as the wider Samoan and Pasifika communities in Aotearoa.

As you embark on a new chapter in your lives, using your doctorates as a va’a (canoe) ready to take on a new journey, aspiring scholars in the motherland can use your story as an inspiration to open a new chapter.

Drawing on the success of this Samoan couple, we are reminded of the challenges that students in many of our schools and colleges in Samoa face in this day and age, from neglect and violence at home to social media distraction and an often unresponsive education system.

Parents today in Samoa have to work 10 times harder than the generation of their mothers and fathers – if they are to raise children with the inbuilt ability to stand firm against the “noise outside”, thanks to a solid grounding in their family’s cultural and Christian values – and see and embrace education as their va’a to a life of wealth and prosperity.

Having been born and raised in Samoa prior to migrating to New Zealand, we have no doubt the fa'asamoa laid the foundation for the academic successes of Dr. Tavita and Dr. Aukuso.

As a Samoan, there is nothing stopping you from reaching for the stars.