(Picture caption: Tonga Helu, left, and brother Etikeni are using their Toloa Secondary Scholarships to pursue STEAM study and career pathways.)
The South Auckland-based Helu family is taking on the world of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), paving the way for other Pacific people to follow in their footsteps.
Hailing from Ha’alalo Tongatapu and Ta’anea Vava’u in Tonga, the Helu family consisting of eight children, Losa (mum) and Viliami (dad), migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2013.
With Viliami, who is a mechanic, as the sole-breadwinner of the family, the Helu children decided to rally and help where they can.
Last year, brothers Tonga, 17, and Etikeni, 16, each successfully applied for a Toloa Secondary Scholarship, as a way to achieve their STEAM dreams, while relieving their family of financial burden.
Tonga, who is in Year 13 at Sacred Heart College, says his scholarship is supporting his dream of completing an aerospace engineering degree and maybe one day, a masters in the subject.
“I applied firstly because I believed it would help out and benefit me by aiding in my family’s financial situation,” Tonga explains.
“However I also saw it as an opportunity to connect with like-minded Pacific people, taking on a field of study where we are a minority.
“It has allowed me to see there are more people like me out there who are trying their best to help their families, and it also helped me to develop key leadership skills through the Le Va programme which was a part of the scholarship.
“Having a device supplied has been very beneficial, enabling me to get assignments done.”
Pursuing a career in STEAM was probably inevitable, he adds.
“I’ve always had a passion for tinkering and drawing stuff as a child and most of it is probably with my dad being a mechanic, however, I would say my inspiration in pursuing a career in STEAM comes from my sister who is studying to be a surgeon.”
Tonga hopes to inspire other Pacific young people to pursue careers in STEAM, and make a positive change in the world.
He has already inspired his younger brother Etikeni, who also attends Sacred Heart College, and is also using his Toloa Scholarship to pursue engineering and design.
“What has inspired me to pursue a STEAM career is because there is a clear need for more Pacific people in those fields and it is something I am very passionate about,” Etikeni says.
“It’s also because Tonga is a past and is a current scholarship recipient and I would like to follow in his footsteps.”
With a love for being creative and the challenge with it, Etikeni says a career in engineering and design would be ideal for him.
“The Toloa Scholarship is helping me achieve this dream, and it is why Pacific students should apply for the scholarships.
“They will be able to achieve great things and change the negative stereotypes of Pacific people being non-academic, and because many people including our parents or caregivers have worked very hard so that they may be able to have these opportunities.”
Applications for the 2024 Toloa Scholarships (Tertiary and Secondary) are open until October 30.
Visit the MPP website to apply.