Air Niugini manager juggles busy workload with home and study

Women should strive to be Independent says Ritchilyn Barios, pictured, administration manager of the human resources department of Air Niugini.
Barios, 31, from a mix parentage of East Sepik, Australian and Philippines is working and at the same time doing a masters in human resources management – a joint programme of the University of PNG and the Human Resource Institute.
She is sponsored by Brunel International after she was nominated by Air Niugini.
Barios is faced with challenges of being a mother, manager and student.
As the eldest daughter of a family of seven she supports her siblings and parents where she can.
All these have caused her to reach higher to be the best she can for her two children, siblings and parents.
“I think that women should not be dependent on the husband or the partner,” Barios says.
“We need to be able to stand up, be independent, be strong so that when we encounter violence, we can be able to stand up, fight and survive and not let this put us down.
“I’d like to see women being independent and not being dependent on anyone.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best and not depend on anyone, so I’m working hard to get my masters and be the best for my children in the future.”
Barios was born and raised in East Sepik where she did her primary school education at Kaindi Demonstration and then continued on to do her grades 9 and 10 at Bishop Leo.
She then did her grades 11 and 12 at Bugandi Secondary in Morobe and was accepted to UPNG in 2005.
“I was studying for a Bachelor in Social Science (majoring in social work),” Bario says.
“I finished in 2008 and graduated in 2009.
“I then applied for Air Niugini’s cadetship programme.
“I started as a cadet in April 2009 and then as a HR officer in October.
“I was appointed team leader HR admin in 2011 and April 2014, I got appointed as a HR admin manager.
“In life you strive to be the best, you strive to stand out, it’s through hard work that you get what you want.
“Being smart, being the best is not easy, you have to work hard for it.
“I am looking forward to completing my masters in HR.
“This year will be my last year and I will be graduating next year.
“It’s been really challenging because it’s an after-hours programme.
“After work at 5pm, I go to class (which finishes at 8pm) and then I go home.”
When Barios arrives home, she attends to house and family needs, and then her homework and sleeps at around 1am.
She starts work at 8am and finishes at 5pm.
“When I’m at work, I put on a different face altogether,” Bario says.
“I concentrate on my work, I don’t allow negative thoughts outside of work to affect me.”