Sophia Moala (left) with Professor Jianguo (President of USTC) and Tonga's Ambassador to China HE Mr Siamelie Latu and Mrs Sesilia Latu.

Two Tongan scholarship students have recently completed their university studies in the People’s Republic of China.

Sofia Louleni Moala of Tokomololo and Sione Fahamokioa of Haveluloto both graduated last week.

Sione Fahamokioa graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the Southeast University, School of Architecture, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. He was a Cadet Draughtsmen prior to being awarded the scholarship.

Sofia Moala graduated with a Bachelor of Management of Science and an MA in Business Administration from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei City after studying in China for five years.

Sofia is a former teacher at Tonga High School and applied for a scholarship to China after she was encouraged to do so by a Chinese language teacher at the school.

She was awarded a scholarship by the China Scholarship Council in 2007 to study Chinese for one year in Anhui Normal before moving on to the University of Science and Technology of China to pursue her studies.

Sofia said, “There were many challenges like homesickness, the language, the unfamiliar environment and being the only Tongan here made it hard for me to survive. But with the help of the good lord, I was able to jump all the hurdles in front of me and to have greater courage to achieve my studies.”

The Tonga Embassy in Beijing in a statement said, “Sofia is a good role model for future scholarship students from Tonga … and [we] hope to receive more students like Sofia in future to study in China”

The Tonga Embassy encouraged “mature potential adults” to apply to study in China to benefit the social and economic development of Tonga.

Sione Fahamokioa