Ariteti Botibara graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 2012 and, since 2015, has worked as the national Curriculum Officer for English (Years 1 to 13) in Kiribati, leading the redevelopment of the national syllabus for this subject, as well as serving as an English Language examiner. In 2022, she took up further professional development with USP’s Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, before embarking on her own MA research to help inform curriculum implementation in her country.

Petina Ulakai Vi graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 2016. Four years later, she was awarded an Australia Awards scholarship to study a Master in Linguistics at the Australia National University, following which she took up a new role as curriculum writer at the Ministry of Education Tonga, in the Curriculum and Assessment Department. In this role, she oversees the writing of the national curriculum, textbooks and teacher guides. She also conducts training workshops on the use of new materials, as well as trialling, revising and implementing the revised curriculum. Petina credits USP for getting her started in her Linguistics journey. As a linguist, she also works on other projects like translation projects, assessment projects and reading projects for ESL students.

Helen Tamtam is an Early Years Literacy Specialist at the Curriculum Development Unit of the Vanuatu Ministry of Education. In this role, she has assisted with the implementation of the vernacular language policy, supporting materials development and designing an approach to ensure children are introduced to literacy skills in vernacular while also acquiring English and French gradually. Helen says she has also noticed the change in recent graduates from USP Linguistics programmes when they get involved with public consultations and workshops. They are confident, inquisitive, courageous, and passionate about language issues in Vanuatu. They see their roles in preserving their local languages.