Sara Iosua says that her EIT courses set her up for future work.
Sara Iosua has been living in Hawke’s Bay for just three months but she has already made a strong impression on a number of people, including her EIT tutors. The 21-year-old soaks up new knowledge like a sponge, making the EIT Learning Centre in Maraenui her second home, so to speak.
Recently Sara has gained a level 2 Certificate in Computing. The online course usually takes up to one year to complete, yet Sara finished it in only two weeks. “I just kept pushing myself and really enjoyed getting to grips with programmes like Word and Power Point,” she says.
“Sara is amazing,” raves Vicky Truman, Maraenui Learning Centre coordinator, about her new student. “Before the computing course even started, Sara did 88 hours of preparation work and then just flew through her assignments.”
Sara’s parents are from Samoa, but Sara and her three older siblings were born and raised in Wellington. She says that she wanted to move to Napier to experience different things, meet new people, become independent and eventually find employment. Sara’s uncle and aunt both studied at EIT and encouraged her to go and have a chat with Vicky to explore her options. There were many options that Sara took an interest in.
Completing the computing certificate in record time was only the start of Sara’s education journey. “Sara actually makes the most of everything we offer here at the centre. She is not only very talented but also extremely driven,” says Vicky.
Sara says that her studies helped her to settle into her life in Maraenui. She enjoys spending time with her family, attending service at King’s House Church, going for walks and keeping fit.”
Sara has also participated in an EIT screen printing workshop and is now studying the Certificate in Foundation Skills (Styling). The great thing about this course, she says, is that people get a taste of hairdressing, beauty and makeup as well as manicure.
Sara has also planned to do the employment preparation training at EIT to kick-start her career in retail. “I like fashion and helping people. I’ve worked in retail before so I just need to update my CV, learn how to write an application letter and do a good job interview. It’s awesome that I can learn all of it at EIT.”
“I’m truly blessed and grateful that God brought me here and for the people around me especially my family. They’ve always been there for me and taught me so much in life. And my best friend Amanda from church who I just met. She helped me a lot and is really lovely to me.”