Celestine, a Jill of all trades
A JILL of all trades Celestine Marion Kabilu certainly is – a national rugby union rep, a baker, a printer/closed circuit television and computer fixer, graphics designer, and an event decorator.
“I am a committed rugby union player. I put in the time for training and am always there for the games. In 2022, I felt like that paid off when I was selected to join the Cassowaries to represent PNG in New Zealand and Australia.
“And when I was working for companies, I also did events decorations and information technology free lancing. I have decorated weddings, birthdays, school graduation ceremonies and baby showers, and was featured in City Pharmacy’s first-ever baby registration promotion.
“When I do not have anything to do, I set up markets outside my house, selling buai, smoke, flex cards and canned drinks. In a week, I could make K900.”
She is currently an Information Systems and Telecommunications intern with TotalEnergies EP PNG Limited.
Born and raised in Port Moresby from a mixed parentage of Bougainville, Gulf and Central, the 25-year-old is the youngest of six children.
She attended St Therese’s Primary School in Badili from kindergarten to Grade Eight, then to Port Moresby Grammar School (Pom Grammar) where she graduated in 2016.
She had wanted to become a teacher but it was her IT teacher at Pom Grammar who encouraged her to pursue a career in the IT field.
“I had the lowest grades in IT when I started. But when I saw that I was improving my IT skills, that’s when it hit me. I knew that I am an IT person.”
Pom Grammar was also where her interest in rugby union began. She joined the school rugby team, then moved over to the Crusader rugby union club and Nova. She was selected to play for the Novettes.
Graduating from the Don Bosco Technical Institute in 2020 with a Diploma in Information, Communication and Technology, she had to defer her graduation the following year after she got injured playing rugby.
“I broke my leg during a rugby game three days before the final exams in 2019. Then I found out that my appendix had burst.”
“ My experience here at TotalEnergies is completely different from all my previous experiences. Working as an intern is a blessing and a great opportunity, offering good exposure for me.”
In 2021, she worked as a babysitter, a trainee secretary at Don Bosco, a printing operation and customer service officer at Star Office Works and an IT officer with Food Pro PNG Limited. She bakes pies with Food Pro and knows how to fix printing machines.
“It’s something outside my scope. I like to learn any trade that is offered to me. When I was working with them (Food Pro), I learned how to bake, how to make pastries, how to pack pies, troubleshoot and configure pie machines and weighing scales.”
After completing two internships with Digitech in 2018 and NiuSky Pacific in 2019, she managed to juggle school work with her receptionist position at Trends Beauty, while attending Don Bosco in 2020.
She is grateful for all her different jobs and the new skills that she managed to pick up along the way.
Resourceful go-getter Celestine managed to rack up an impressive resume of work experience. And now, it looks like TotalEnergies is where she will choose to stay.
“My experience here at TotalEnergies is completely different from all my previous experiences. Working as an intern is a blessing and a great opportunity, offering good exposure for me.
“Everything is new for me and I am fascinated by all the new things I am learning in my time here. I am proud of my team because of their hearty welcome and the continuing sharing of knowledge.”
- Story and pictures supplied by Lulu Maginde