From devouring Geronimo Stilton and David Walliams books as a child to scouring the Guinness Book of World Records for crazy feats, Oceana Vaili’s love for reading and learning was clear early on. Now, as Wesley College’s 2025 Dux, she’s set to take this passion to Auckland University with a coveted fast-track offer reserved for top achievers.
“My strength has always been reading, writing, and spelling – I really love spelling!” she says with a smile.
She gives credit for her early success to her grandad, who taught her geography and times tables from a young age.
Fluent in both English and Samoan due to her time in full immersion Samoan schools, Oceana’s love of language is driving her to pursue a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and media studies. She also plans to study education, aiming to become a teacher in English, history, or classical studies. In doing so, she will be following in the footsteps of her family, including her father Siaosi and her paternal grandmother, both teachers.
“I’d love to lead my own classroom,” Oceana shares. “My English teachers have been my favourites. They give just the right amount of information – never too much, They’re really supportive, encouraging questions and setting high expectations.”
Her success hasn’t come easy. It’s been a year of hard work and smart time management, ticking off every criterion to earn excellence credits whenever possible. Though her work in the classroom is done, she faced a tough challenge this week: the scholarship English exam. Most students don’t manage to finish all three sections, and none at Wesley have passed it yet.
“It took a lot of study, but I’m proud I finished the exam. I’d love to be the first Wesley student to pass,” she says. If she does, a pass comes with $2000.
Oceana’s determination is about to pay off in more ways than one. She is heading to Japan this Christmas and New Year for a family holiday. A huge anime fan, she’s excited to experience the culture firsthand, shop at Shibuya Crossing, and immerse herself in the world she’s admired on screen.
“I often listened to music by anime soundtrack composer Yugo Kanno while I was studying. It’s instrumental, so it helped me focus without distractions,” she explains.
With her love of learning, clear goals, and unstoppable drive, Oceana Vaili’s story is only just beginning.