DAVID Whiteside reaped the reward of hard work last week when he walked away with a gold medal at the Fiji Institute of Technology graduation.For the 23-year-old, it was the end of many sleepless nights and anxiety.
He said he made it by being committed, passionate and trusting in the Lord.
David won a gold medal in Digital Animation Techniques.
He went to Holy Trinity Primary School in the capital before joining the Suva Christian Community High School.
He furthered his studies at the FIT for one and a half years before graduation.
David got married in 2006 to Litiana and they have a wonderful daughter named Bianca who is 14 months old.
In receiving the honour David said he was proud of his achievement.
"This really makes me proud. It's a great achievement for myself especially after the sleepless nights I had and time away from my wife and daughter.
"To me it was worth it."
He said without sacrifice and commitment, he would not have passed.
Sometimes, he had to go without food, no sleep while he studied and worked on his projects.
"To be successful in what we do, we have to make a lot of sacrifice." he said.
"You have to be committed and passionate because without passion you won't be committed."
David believes that putting his trust in the Lord is one of the key values to his achievement and success. "I thank the Lord for giving me the strength, wisdom and the knowledge which enabled me to do well in my studies."
As a young boy, David wanted to be an artist.
This was mainly through his uncle John Robinson who has been a great source of inspiration and a role model for him.
He said not only was he a great artist but a great father too.
This are the two things that drives him to being an artist and a family man."When growing up, I was very much into watching animated movies and cartoons and i used to wonder how they were done.
"That is how I was interested in studying it."He said he would apply to a couple of advertising companies for a jobs and then continue his studies in his field.
David said hard work and sacrifice would bring glory at the end of the day.
He said if people set their goals right and work hard toward them, they would definitely achieve it. "To young people, I would like to remind you of the Bible verse from the Book of Psalms 37:4 which says "delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart". "I would like to thank the Lord for being my source of strength, my relatives, my wife and my grandmother, not forgetting my daughter Bianca and uncle John for inspiring me."
CONGRATULATIONS DAVID AND FAMILY!
Adapted from Fijitimes Online
