By Jim John
Growing up in a settlement within the country’s capital city, Port Moresby, has been a tough upbringing for aspiring accountant Emmanuel Tipitape.
Emmanuel, aged 24 who hails from Enga Province has endured hardships to create a better life for his family.
These life struggles include no excess to clean water supply, power outages, limited food rations and housing problems to name a few, which are contributing factors to less concentration on one’s educational journey.
But despite these experiences and struggles, Emmanuel chose to focus on his education to achieve his dream.
He said, “accounting involves numbers and statistics, something I have taken interest in since secondary school.”
After completing his primary education at Bavaroko Primary School and Kaugere Primary School in Port Moresby from 2008 to 2013, Emmanuel continued to do secondary studies at the Kilakila Secondary School from 2014 to 2017.
“When I was in twelveth grade, I really wanted to get into finance,” he said.
“Growing up , both my parents were teachers so I did not attend elementary school. I used to study my parents work at home such as student text books and learning materials. That boosted my confidence and understanding in home studies, so in 2008 my parents took me to Kaugere Primary School and enrolled me to do grade 3,” said Emmanuel.
In 2018, he was selected to the University of Papua New Guinea to take Business Foundation studies and streamed into the Banking and Finance Course in 2019.
“With the qualification that I have, I will participate in banking, finance, management, help people in their savings and corporate financing and contribute to the country’s development in terms of banking services, financial advice, economic management among others,” he said.
On April 24th 2023, he graduated in Bachelor of Accounting at the University of Papua New Guinea.
Emmanuel encourages other students in the country to prioritize their education to achieve their dreams and goals too.
He said, real life situations such as financial problems, lack of access to health services, lack of family support and others can be distractions to students educational journey , however, students must be brave enough to overcome these challenges and to do their best in their studies.
“Whatever you want to be in the near future, always remember to put God first and he will lead you through your life’s journey. Always be obedient to your parents and guardians so that your life may go well,” he confidently said.
True to his dream of profession, Emmanuel is currently employed with the Investment Bank as their analyst, and is also a stockbroker with the JMP security firm in Port Moresby.
