PEOPLE: Alice ready to serve

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Alice Pickering after receiving the Diploma in Counselling at GPH recently. Picture: JONA KONATACI

Alice Fong Pickering was one of many teachers who graduated recently with a Diploma in Counselling from the Australia Pacific Training Centre.

Alice says her passion lies with children and she is a strong advocate of child protection.

“Wherever my journey in life takes me, my one goal is to serve children, if not only in Fiji, then on a wider platform.” Born and raised in the soccer crazy town of Ba, Alice was a secondary school teacher at a number of schools, teaching economics and accounting.

“As divisional counsellor for the Western Division I am based in Lautoka, but I serve four districts, that is, Nadroga/Navosa, Lautoka, Nadi, Yasawa, Ba, Tavua, Nadarivatu, Vatukoula and Ra,” she said.

The 42-year-old mother of three is the eldest of four siblings who have been her biggest supporters.

“I am a single mum of three sons who have been my pride and joy. My eldest completed his Diploma in Electrical Engineering, my second is on is an MBBS student at the University of Fiji and my youngest will be in Year 8 this year.

“Through my journey, Lancaster Fong my brother in the US, my younger brother, Elijah Fong and my two sisters, Eunice and Jojo have been equally supportive of me. “I am also grateful to the Ba AOG Mission Centre for being supportive in my journey as a mother. Faith and family have gotten me as far as I have in life and I owe them all my gratitude.” Alice, who is of Chinese descent, spoke proudly of he maternal ties to Nawaikama in Gau. She attended St Teresa’s Primary School and Kamil Muslim College.

“After secondary school, I pursued my Diploma in Education at the Fiji College of Advanced Education in Nasinu. It was then that I my father passed on.

“It was a hard time for us as a family with my mother being unemployed. But she raised my siblings and I alone and all that I am today, I owe to my strong mother.

“I graduated in 1995 with my diploma and started teaching at Xavier College then Natabua High School, Holy Family Secondary School in Labasa and then Khalsa College.

While I was in Khalsa College in 2005, the principal at the time encouraged me to take up the role of counsellor in the school.

“I started doing courses at USP and got my Certifi cate in counselling. In 2012, I took up the position as a confirmed counsellor at Kamil Muslim College.

“In 2014, the Ministry of Education began looking for people to fill the divisional counsellors post. I expressed my interest and was offered the position of divisional counselor Western Division.”

“I have served in that position since then. I do encourage more people to consider taking up counselling.

There is a need for more student support officers in the country and now that the ministry is allocating 50 scholarships for this, Year 13 students should take advantage of this opportunity.”

“I strongly believe that you are never too old to study and you really can never have enough of education. When the opportunity presents itself, grab it and use it to continue upgrading yourself as an individual.

“There is always hope and there is always a solution to every problem life throws at you. And no matter what your journey is in life, lean on God and not your own understanding.”

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