By PNG Marketing Magazine
Hava Kasa, 21 from Eastern Highlands and Morobe was the male recipient of the first-ever Sir Mekere Morauta Award of Academic Excellence at the 66th Graduation of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG).
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| Picture Credit: Michael Tamty Pais - Wild_West Photography |
The Sir Mekere Morauta Award is principally to celebrate the memory of a great Papua New Guinean and is given to both the top-performing Male and Female Students in the Economics strand of UPNG, School of Business & Public Policy Management.
Although culturally from the two provinces, Hava spent almost his entire childhood in Lae, hence those who know him know that he prides himself of being a Lae kid.
He graduated from Lae Secondary School in 2016 and was accepted in 2017 to do Business Management Foundation Year (BMFY) at UPNG. After completing his BMFY, he was then streamed a year later into studying mainly Economics.
Life at most Universities and Colleges comes with its own world of challenges and stress, whether it be academic, social, or financial, these challenges are there and UPNG is no different, especially to those who came in from other parts of the country.
Having leadership roles in both academic and extra-curricular student groups and also participating in a school soccer team, Hava was expected to be proactive on all fronts, all the while maintaining class attendance and committing time to study.
This means more effort demand, challenges, and stress, and one does not simply go through that without his/her own support group.
Hava being fortunate enough had the undying support from both his family in Lae and POM and thus dedicated his success to them.
“I am nothing without my family and it is to them that I owe my achievements to. Everything that I am, I merely inherited from them and it is to them I dedicate my award to,” says Hava.
He is also grateful to the Economics Students Society, Lae City Students Association, and Tutumang Football Club for backing him up and for teaching him the values of leadership and how to work with a team to get things done.
Hava is currently employed by the BSP Financial Group Limited under its 2021 Graduate Development Program.
He sees his degree and academic success as a tool to help improve society, which pertains to one of his primary objectives in choosing a career in the field of economics was to innovate and devise better methodologies and policies to help alleviate the common challenges such as raging poverty, increased unemployment, and illiteracy in PNG.
“You don’t learn business just to become another employee.
Your education in business shouldn’t just be a ticket to employment, but an edge to start something for yourself and your community of people.
PNG’s current economic system and bureaucracy need to be rejuvenated with bright young minds, who have both the passion and energy to change this country for the better,” says Hava.
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