Melita Cook, 14, is like a mother to the children at Hilton Special School in Suva.
Melita has been deaf since birth but she has never let her disability hinder her from competing with normal people in society.
The Class Eight students is the school's head girl.
Melita is an active, diligent and above average student at the special school.
She does the same curriculum as students in normal schools.
Seeing her take charge of students, monitor their behaviour and scold them to go back to their classrooms is admirable.
Her studies are her first priority. "In fact she is always full of questions and is very neat and up-dated with her school work," says her teacher Mere Mafi.
"She is very efficient in all she does and apart from her studies, she cares and always looks out for the other children."
Using sign language, Melita says sitting for Fiji Eighth Year Examination this term is a challenge for her because she needs to look after the other students at the same time.
Melita joined the school seven years ago and she will be attending Gospel School of the Deaf next year.
"Despite my disability, I know I can do very well provided we have good interpretation medium provided for the deaf students," she said using the sign language.
"We want equality, and deaf people can also achieve a lot in life. That's what I tell myself everyday and I know I can compete and I never doubt myself. My motto in life is 'Deaf Can Do'," she said.
Melita hails from Gau, Lomaiviti, but was born and bred in Suva. She is the youngest of three siblings. Life was hard for her while growing up.
"I felt sad and used to cry a lot knowing I was different from the others," she said. "It was hard seeing my brother and sister talk and laugh and I had no idea what they were saying.
"I always looked for sub-titles while watching TV but there was none most of the time. I didn't no what was going on around me because I didn't know what was said on radio. I used to tell mum to bring discs that had sub-titles. I felt bad because I was the only one with the problem."
But as years went by, Melita gained self-confidence and respect.
She wants to work for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) in the future.
