Mum of six Jacqueline tops class

By JAMIE HARO
A MOTHER of six finished top of her course among 118 students at the Institute of Business Studies University (IBSU) graduation in Port Moresby on Friday.
Jacqueline Gabi, 42, from Abau, Central, scored the highest grade point average (GPA) among her coursemates obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business and management and earning the Bank South Pacific award for excellence.
“It was not an easy task prioritising each day to ensure that I played my motherly role right and prioritising my education,” she said.
She said it was the toughest challenge waking up to see her children off to school before making an attempt to attend classes.
Her oldest is 21 and the youngest is three.
It was a struggle for her as well trying to adapt to the classroom setting more than 20 years after she was last in a classroom setting.
“After completing my studies at the Goroka Business College in 1998, I was employed with the Bank of Papua New Guinea,” Gabi said.
With 22 years of experience now and still employed with BPNG, she was able to secure sponsorship from her employer where she would spend the next four years (2017-2021) employed while studying at the institute.
As the graduating class respondent during the event, Gabi said she did not think she would follow this path to obtain a bachelors degree and top her class.
“I am grateful for the opportunity BPNG has given me and I look forward to more opportunities to come,” she said.
The IBSU graduating class of 2022 also included 31 graduates from the Southern Cross University through an affiliated programme with that university.