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Fijian student wins ‘Face of the Future’ TV show competition
SUVA, Fiji—University of the South Pacific student Ivy Talei Marrissia Toro will be the new face on The Pacific Way, the flagship TV show of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, come 2016.
Toro will work with The Pacific Way crew to film and share her story on youth issues, which will be aired on 21 stations across the Pacific Islands region.
Ivy Toro poses at the SPC office in Suva, Fiji. (Contributed Photo)
The 19-year-old Foundation Science student at the USP won the public vote to become a guest reporter with 434 likes on Facebook and YouTube, edging out fellow finalist Clemensia Talo Sioneholo of Niue.
Toro, from Ba Province in the Western side of Fiji, attributed her win to her mother and sister who urged her to apply.
“I hope to raise awareness not only in Fiji but in other Pacific Island countries on learning and development disabilities among young people in our nations. This affects quality education and their employment opportunities,” she said.
Toro said that sharing her story on The Pacific Way would be a positive way to address the issue.
“I went through school meeting youth with disability challenges, who struggled through school and did not have access to proper help. I look forward to getting my message across and helping parents realize that their child may need that extra attention,” she explained.
SPC’s Audiovisual Team Leader, Joji Nabalarua, congratulated Toro saying this is a rare chance for a young person to showcase their creative flair for storytelling focused on an issue important to them.
“We look forward to working with Toro to film and produce her story about youth and disability in Fiji and share it with viewers throughout the Pacific,” Nabalarua said. (SPC)
