20/02/2026
Talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings, my name is Crystalbell Afitu, I am of Samoan descent and proudly hail from the villages of Tufuiopa Apia, Vaivase Uta, Faleula, and Vaimoso and I’m repping Helu Thaman!
Now that UniBound has ended, I can confidently say that I’m somewhat prepared and well aware of what I’m about to step into for the rest of my university journey all thanks to what UniBound had provided me with throughout the last 6 weeks.
For me personally, the lectures, tutorials and workshops in UniBound prepared me in a way I never expected before UniBound. The lectures were able to help me adjust to the different settings and how things are done in a university environment. The tutorials were able to break down and was hands on with helping me understand better how to do the work that was given to me but also help me get closer to those in my class. Lastly the workshops were able to strengthen a sense of belonging and purpose within me but also helped me understand the many resources the university provides us students within the university because we are never really alone in this university journey and that there are people out that are able to help us in situations we’d most likely encounter throughout our university journeys and in these workshops there were moments where it really empowered me to go forth in this journey seeing that we really are supported in this space and that all we have to do is just ask when needed.
I will definitely carry what I’ve learned in UniBound into the rest of my time at university by applying the many skills I was able to learn in lectures, the tutorials, especially the skills I was able to learn in the workshops but most importantly the skills I was able to learn from my mentors, my UniBound cohort peers, and the leadership team of UniBound.
A short message from me to future UniBound students is to don’t take these kind of opportunities for granted, and make the most of it because everything you will sow in UniBound you shall reap throughout the rest of your University journey.
