Sainiana M. Radrodro's business study with CQUniversity came at the midpoint of her astonishing journey from school dropout and teenage mum through to her current status as Principal Transport Planner for Fiji's Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities.

Along the way, Sainiana has experienced ups and downs in her personal life but is now happily married to her second husband, with a blended family of eight children.

Sainiana M. Radrodro pictured after graduating from CQUniversity

CQUniversity reluctantly closed its Fiji Campus during that country's political turmoil last decade, but not before Sainiana completed a Postgraduate Diploma in General Management in 2006 and MBA in 2007.

Growing up in Suva as a child, Sainiana's parents were civil servants and she had a middle class existence for a while.

"My life became shattered when my parents divorced when I was 11 years of age," she says.

"Life from then on was a struggle as I moved from family to family. For the most part, it was embarrasing as most family members did not welcome any new additions to their families given that they each had their own struggles.

"I remember when I was around 13, I prayed hard one night before I went to bed with an empty stomach that I hoped I would be accepted into an all girls' boarding school better known as Adi Cakobau School. This was to allow me to have a roof over my head to sleep and food in my stomach. I got through my exams and was accepted into this prestigious school where I spent four wonderful years of what was almost a normal life except for no visitors to visit me during a whole school term. I used to envy those lucky girls whose parents would visit their daughters every weekend. I would pretend it didn't matter but there were many nights I would cry myself to sleep and miss my mum and dad and my brothers and sisters who were almost all living with different families by then."

Sainiana entered the next phase of life as a school dropout and teenage mum. She said she spent three years looking for work and missing her son, who was growing up with her elder sister in a town in western Fiji.

"With no formal qualification, I literally went office to office looking for work. I presented myself at the Fiji Times newspaper one day after I did a soul searching and realised the only talent I had which I could use was my ability to write well and my love in fact for it.

"I remember telling the Editor I needed a job and that I had a son to support and would be the best journalist he would have one day. He gave me an assignment to go to the Sukuna Park where the World Water Day was being held. I was to write a story on this and if he liked the story, I would be recruited. I wrote the story and was hired my first fully paid job!  My first pay packet I received $347 for two weeks of work. That was plenty for me and for the first time in my life, I felt independent and ready to face whatever the world threw me.

"I worked for the Fiji Times for almost five years and started taking preliminary courses at the University of the South Pacific. My hunger for studies drove me and I shortly after left the Fiji Times to join the Fiji Electricity Authority, with work including serving in customer service to packing FEA bills.

"By this time I was married and had a second son. I had my last child whilst at FEA and was unfortunately given my notice of services no longer required as the letter stated that because there was no provision for pregnant casual staff to take leave, I was to end my career with FEA.

"That was a low blow to my life with expecting a child and being chucked out of my job. I left and vowed to be back one day. I gave birth to my only daughter and after a year at home, applied to the Daily Post where I got a job as a political writer and later rose to the rank of Chief of Staff.

"Three years later I joined the United Nations Development Program where I travelled the world and had my first international exposures as an international civil servant. It was at the UNDP where I learnt to write proper reports and ensure documentation of all projects were submitted on time, proper budgetings were done and monitoring of project implmentation was a priority.

"I finished my career with UNDP four years later appointed as the Overall Project Cordinator for a special project my team had been assigned to do. Whilst at the UNDP I enrolled at the Central Queensland University.

"Studying at CQU was one of the best times of my life. My lecturers were top professionals and the learning environment at CQU Fiji Campus was an experience in itself. I felt privileged to be studying in the same lecture room during those days with some renowed civil servants, CEOs and executives from various professions.

"CQU had a great blend of students who in fact were mostly older students studying part time whilst being gainfully employed.   I left the UNDP in 2006 and joined the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau as its Senior Public Relations and Investment Development Officer. It was at FTIB that I completed my Masters and travelled up to Australia with my mum and daughter to graduate from CQU Rockhampton in February 2008.

"On my return from graduation I joined the Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities where I took up the position of Principal Media Liaison Officer and later got posted within the Ministry as the Principal Economic Transport Planner; a position I hold to date."

Sainiana says her current position means she looks after transportation analysis and assists in future transport development planning, whilst also addressing current issues that affect the Transport Industry.

"It's a challenging career but rewarding because I am dealing with challenges people go through daily in their quest to access transportation services and means."