Date: 30 Jan 2024
Solomon Islands Students Association President (SISA), Laucala Campus.
Can you please briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Melisha Siapu and I originate from the happy isles of Solomon Islands. Currently, I’m a final year student completing my Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Information Systems. I am currently the President for the Solomon Islands Students Association (SISA); and I love to sing, learn new things, and I especially love organising events.
Tell us about a project or accomplishment during your time at the University of the South Pacific (USPSA) and the Solomon Islands Students Association (SISA) that you consider to be the most significant in your leadership journey?
Leadership is teamwork. It is not only about being the team leader but also about being a team member, being a team player. Every day being a young woman in this role is an accomplishment and a challenge too. Even though I sometimes feel like giving up, I always find strength in God to continue in my role. While my role as the President is quite challenging at times as a young woman within an Association with a dominant male culture, it doesn’t deter me from carrying out my duties and from achieving the things we have planned to develop the association. My first project as the SISA President was to renovate our office to help accommodate our students, and I managed to achieve this through the help of my Executive team. The timeframe was very short, but we managed to get it done despite this through teamwork.
In your opinion, what role might the USP and the USPSA play in promoting women’s leadership?
The common thing across the Pacific, and especially where I come from, is the fact that men are more highly respected compared to women. I can still see that in USP and USPSA. Through working with Balance of Power, USPSA has been influenced in a positive way to support women in leadership, but more still needs to be done. I would suggest that Balance of Power continues to work with USPSA – and USP more broadly – to undertake more workshops and projects to continue to educate young men and women about the importance of gender balance and shared leadership roles.