MS. ANE HETI VEIKUNE
Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language
Post Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching
University Years:
What were you passionate about as a student?
I was always looking to enhance my own teaching practice, and these two programmes helped me do that. So, I have always been passionate about teaching.
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities or clubs? How did they shape your experience?
Both my programmes were by distance and online respectively, and both times, I was working full-time, so I didn’t join any extracurricular activities or clubs.
What did you think your dream career would be at the time?
When I started my programme in 1993, I was already teaching, so I knew what my career was then. For this recent programme, I knew it was something I needed to do to enhance my teaching and to update my knowledge of the field.
Are there things about your course of study that you would do differently if you had to do it again?
Maybe not, but perhaps I could have devoted more time to my courses, to give them the attention they deserved and required.
Career Path:
What was your first job after graduation? Did you learn anything from it that you could share as a ‘learning curve’ for current USP students?
I was already working when I did my first programme, and the benefit of it was that I was able to use my own teaching experiences for my assessments. The same can be said when I did the second one, 30 years after the first. Just using your experiences is far more valuable than anything else you can use.
Describe a turning point or pivotal moment in your career.
I think I have had three pivotal moments – my first training was in secondary teaching, and so the first pivotal point for me was moving into school administration roles. My next pivotal point was moving to teaching at tertiary level, and then I think my third pivotal moment was moving into combined researcher and teaching modes, and that is where I am currently.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your field?
Having the opportunity to work in the classroom at almost all levels of education – from starting out at secondary level, teaching English, then onto school administration roles, from there to tertiary level teaching, and now in my current role, I am working mostly in primary classrooms and being involved in resource development for ECCE.
Share any of your career highlights since graduation.
For me, it will always be the opportunities I have had to be in a classroom. They top my most successful and most fulfilling teaching and learning times. Working with teachers and students would have to be the highlight – not awards or promotions or prizes, advancements in titles and positions, even graduations.
The Future:
What are your current goals and aspirations?
To complete my PhD.
How do you see your field evolving in the future?
I see huge advancements in learning tools, resources, and pedagogies. I see more and more AI technologies and am exploring how best they can serve us.
What does it mean to you to be an alumnus of USP?
It is a community of people who have a singular memory and shared experience of attending a regional institution of learning in whatever shape or form, but USP unites everyone. The shared experience is a powerful uniting factor.
What did you take from studying at USP which serves you in good stead today?
Just the perseverance to complete, especially if you are an online student. Knowing you are joining a huge community of learners across the region is an amazing feeling, and the ‘Pacific’ values we espouse can be played out in whatever situation you find yourself in during your time of study – from online collaborations, you can still make good friends.
Do you have family members who have also studied at USP? What did they study and where are they now?
Three of my four children have studied at USP; two have graduated. My daughter holds a BA in English Language/Literature & French and is a Translator at the Attorney General’s Office, Tonga, and is also doing an LLB (Advanced) part-time. My son graduated with an LLB and will complete his PDLP in June 2025. The third is still at Laucala completing a BA in Law/Sociology. He should complete it next year.
Any words of wisdom or your last words to encourage others?
Never stop learning!
