Siobhan Sharkey
Siobhan Sharkey was awarded a conjoint degree in Law and Arts, majoring in Linguistics.
Following in the footsteps of her pioneering mother and ‘prayer warrior’ grandmother, Law and Arts graduate Siobhan Sharkey was destined to aim high.
The University of Auckland graduate was awarded a conjoint degree in Law and Arts majoring in linguistics on 15 May. She was among a cohort of 25 Law graduates with Pacific heritage graduating from Auckland Law School during the week.
The daughter of Auckland Law School alumna Tania Sharkey, New Zealand's first District Court judge of Tongan descent appointed in the family jurisdiction, and granddaughter of Kalolaine Fotu Sharkey, Siobhan says her parents and Mama have been some of her biggest supporters throughout her university studies.
“My parents cheered me on every step of the way, they never failed to remind me how proud they were, and were very understanding of my stress-induced mood swings, my siblings too, actually,” she laughs.
Her Mama (grandmother) plays a major role in her life and has been Siobhan’s very own prayer warrior.
“She never fails to wake up early in the morning and pray over me and my family, and I have no doubt in my mind that her prayers have played a huge part in getting me to where I am today.”
Siobhan's heritage has roots in the village of Houma, Tongatapu in Tonga, and the town of Strabane in Northern Ireland, where her late maternal grandfather, William Sharkey, hailed from.
Having been raised in the Catholic Church, Siobhan says faith has guided her through life's challenges and triumphs.
Siobhan’s parents were determined that she and her siblings wouldn’t miss out on their Tongan language and culture. She spent a year living in Tonga with family in Fanga, on the island of Tongatapu near the capital of Nuku’alofa.
"When I was younger, I lived with my family in Fanga, attending Fanga GPS (government primary school); my parents wanted me to deepen my understanding and connection to our culture and family.”
Siobhan and her siblings continued to spend most summers in Tonga throughout their schooling years.
“I’ll always be grateful for the experience of living there. The love and hard work of my family in Tonga continues to ground and motivate me to work hard, so that one day I will return the same love they have always shown me."
I wish I had a better blueprint for how I got through it, but it came down to the support from my loved ones, trusting the process, and remembering that it was all a means to an end.
