Meet Hon. Mr. Craig Ricardo
Newly Recruited Probationary Member of the United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji) Mr. Craig Ricardo believes in self-determination.
The 19-year-old believes that everything starts and ends within a person. Only a person can decide his/her limits and destination. Mr. Ricardo’s self-determined and helpful nature made him receive a Certificate of Appreciation during UNA Fiji 2022 graduation which happened on 7 August 2022 at Dudley High School in Suva.
Currently, Mr. Ricardo is a Year 13 Food Science student at Dudley High School and wants to become a childcare educator. He is originally from Noatau, Rotuma, and currently resides in Namadi Heights with his grandmother. He dedicated his achievement to his grandmother who always encouraged him never to give up in life and keep moving forward.
As a trainee, Mr. Ricardo was inspired by the members of UNA Fiji as how the members took their time out to run the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP) every Saturday. “What inspired me to continue with BDTP were the words of the members of UNA Fiji saying things may seem hard right now, but if you were to sit until the end of this training, you will be able to tackle anything that comes your way”.
One of Mr. Ricardo’s favorite moments as a trainee was when they had to perform a role play on scenarios set by the UNA Fiji’s Peace Building Advisor Honorable Ms. Arieta Koila Costello on conflict and problem-solving.
It was hard for Mr. Ricardo to balance his school work and BDTP but, BDTP taught him the importance of time management and balancing work. “It changed me for the better and broadened my thinking capacity that made me consider others' perspectives when making decisions. I had to balance my classes and studies by putting aside my phone as well as refusing outings with friends in order to perform for both BDTP and School”.
Mr. Ricardo is happy to be part of the UNA Fiji family and looks forward to learning essential lessons and practices such as critical thinking and problem-solving in real life.
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