[Photo: Nikhil Kumar]

A friendship that began at Natabua High School has now reached another milestone, with two friends graduating together from the University of the South Pacific.

Ritisha Prasad and Nadiya Sahukhan have supported each other through law school and even shared a home while completing their studies.

Now, after years of studying side by side, the two friends are celebrating their graduation together.

Prasad and Sahukhan have known each other since high school, and this week they are celebrating not only their degrees, but the journey that brought them here together.

“It feels great. Not only is she my friend, she’s also my flatmate and I’ve known her since like 2016. So it’s a long journey.”

The journey has not always been easy. Both say university came with its share of challenges, but having a close friend alongside them made the experience more meaningful.

“It feels absolutely amazing. I think we’ve been so emotional all day. And it’s the fact that we live together as well now as we do PDLP. We’ve known each other since high school days in Natabua High School.”

Prasad graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and says her interest in human rights will shape her next steps.

“I chose to study law because I’m more attracted to the human rights sector. I do feel like there’s a lot of things in Fiji that needs to be changed, and I want to play a part in making that happen.”

For Sahukhan, the journey has also changed her as a person.

“I think I went into it thinking it was just going to be all well and good, and in a certain amount of time I’ll be done. And definitely a bit of a shock when that wasn’t the case. I’m a completely different person to when I first started.”

From high school friends to university flatmates and now law graduates, Ritisha and Nadiya have reached another milestone together as they begin the next chapter of their lives.