A Tongan teacher studying in central China has completed a course at a top university in record time, "a marvellous achievement to praise," her Dean said, in noting that Sophia Loren Moala's remarkable academic achievement would go down in the history of the school and that her attitude to education "reflects the beauty of Tonga's culture."

Sophia, the only Tongan at the China University of Science and Technology, graduated with a Bachelor of Management of Science degree on Saturday, July 2, after completing the four-years course in only three years.

Her Dean wrote to the Tongan Embassy in Beijing to congratulate Sophia on, "Her tremendous achievement that amazed us."

The Executive Dean of the Administrations School of Management, USTC, Professor Liang Liang Ph.D stated: "None of the Chinese or a foreign student have accomplished this great effort. The school admired her intelligence, determinations and positive attitude towards her studies especially in dealing with the language barriers.

"Her success is truly a motivation to her fellow foreign and Chinese classmates. I believe that her elegant personality in education and life reflects the beauty of Tonga's culture. We are all proud of her," Prof. Liang said.

Business Administration

Sophia has been awarded another two years scholarship by the same university to do her Masters in Business Administration, starting this year.

Sophia was teaching at the Tonga High School when she was awarded a scholarship to study in China and together with 15 Tongan students arrived in China in 2007 to go to different schools under the China Scholarship Program. In her first year she studied the Chinese language. After passing her language test she moved to the China University of Science and Technology in Hefei, Anhui Province in Central China, over 500 miles from Beijing, to start studying for her major in September 2008.

"The first year for everyone is the hardest of all, because China is a big country and the language is the hardest language to study I have ever experienced. The common language for all Chinese is the Mandarins Chinese, so that's what we are studying," Sophia told Matangi Tonga Online. "The major problem of our study here is the language barriers. In the class, all the classes are in Chinese."

The basic concepts could be mastered in a year but not all the technical concepts for the major, she said. "I personally think that this is a crazy expectation that we can mastered everything in one year as a preparation, but the working hard students can make it well . . . They are willing to help if you are eager to learn."

Homesickness was an additional difficulty, common for Tongans studying in China, she said.

Sophia said she worked hard and was encouraged when she found she could ask some teachers for English exams. She had good results and decided to take extra classes to gain credits.

"My biggest inspiration all these times of struggling, facing students pressures, homesick and the language barriers was only God himself. Secondly, are my parents, I don't forget their loving faces and their struggling in life due for my own success."

Sophia was also inspired by the resourcefulness of the Chinese, "I admired how they worked hard to earn living with what they have, even if it's just making pancakes and sell it in the street. It amazes me."

As a child growing up in Tonga, Sophia attended primary School in Ha'apai and later attended Tonga High School. She earned a Diploma of Education, majoring in Economics and Home Economics from the Tonga Teachers Institute of Education.

Sophia is the daughter of Pa'anepasa and Temaleti Moala from Ha'afeva, Ha'apai who are residing in Tokomololo, Tongatapu.