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The Truth about Pathway Studies
Latu Vailahi Kata left school at the age of nine. While she hoped to eventually return to her studies, as she got older, it seemed more and more unlikely that she would ever gain a formal education.
Decades later, Latu decided to enroll in one of the Church’s new self-reliance courses: Starting and Growing my Own Business. “I worked very hard to complete every assignment,” she remembers, and receiving her certificate for that class rekindled her desire for more education. “I thought to myself, ‘If this is what school is like, I would love to try it.’”
Soon after, Latu’s husband, Seteone Kata—who is a counsellor in the bishopric of the Avondale Ward of the Auckland New Zealand Waterview Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—introduced her to the PathwayConnect opportunity and encouraged her to give it a go.
The Pathway journey turned out to be extremely challenging for Latu, especially in her first semester. “I didn’t know how to speak English (then), apart from saying ‘hi’ and ‘how are you,’ et cetera.” She found having to deliver student presentations in an English-speaking class was humiliating and discouraging.
Also, because it had been 22 years since she was last in school, Latu struggled to understand the Pathway course materials. She needed help.
“I was always crying and asking Heavenly Father . . . to give me the courage to keep going,” Latu says, but her own education wasn’t her only goal. “I (wanted to show) anyone in the same situation as me that everything is possible.”
Her prayers were answered through a series of little miracles. First, she found courage to face the intimidation of her English-speaking classmates and used them as a motivation to work harder. Her husband was also a cherished blessing during this time. He took care of many of Latu’s household and family responsibilities so she could review her study material as many times as it took for her to understand it.
Latu didn’t get much sleep during her Pathway year, especially when she had assignments and quizzes to submit, but she learned to have faith and to always put her trust in Heavenly Father.
“I am glad that I obeyed the promptings of the Holy Ghost telling me to not give up,” she says. If she had given up then, she would not have experienced the outpouring of blessings that have come so far because of her eventual success with Pathway.
In July 2017, Latu graduated from PathwayConnect—with a 4.0 GPA! She immediately applied for Brigham Young University–Idaho’s degree program and was overwhelmed with gratitude when her application was approved only a few hours later. After all these years, she was finally able to continue her education.
It took Latu 6 months (2 semesters) to complete her administrative assistant certificate, and then on the second of July 2019, she became the first New Zealander ever to graduate with a BYU Idaho online associates degree. Her major was applied science in administration and office manager, and she earned this distinction with honours.
“Everything in my life has changed for the better because of my decision to study. It’s been a tremendous blessing for my family and me.” Latu appreciates most that she can take her newfound knowledge with her anywhere, even into the next life.
But she is not quite done with her formal education yet. Latu is currently working on a bachelor of science in applied management with a double emphasis in administrative assistant and pre-law. Her long-term professional goal is to gain a PhD in law and to become a judge.
Because of her humble beginnings, Latu has love for anyone who doesn’t believe they can succeed in education. “If I can do it, you can do it, too,” she says. “Pathway is affordable and accessible, but it can lead to huge opportunities.
“I know studying can be a bitter experience sometimes, but the fruit of it is tasty! The blessings of education are indescribable—for yourself, your family and society as well. It is never too late to study. I promise, you will never regret it.”