The Phyllia and Micheal story of determination and hard work

These two kids are the definition of determination and hard CONSISTENT work.

One day, four years ago, Michael Tamty Pais showed up at the office asking if he could
work during the holidays. I didn’t know him then. He talked very fast. I had a bit of
difficulty understanding him.
Apparently, he had met up with a crew member and asked if he could have a look at the
camera. Crew member ignored him but Michael persisted and eventually came to the
EMTV Lae office and expressed his request to work during the holidays. I took him on
board not sure what to expect. He worked extremely hard, sometimes, seven days a
week. Sometimes, I had to tell him to stay home.
Michael was still in secondary school. His dad passed away several years ago and his
mum supports him.
A few days later, Phyllia Pisep showed up at the office. She had seen Michael at work
and wanted to do the same. Like Michael, Phyllia was a total stranger to me. It was the
first time I was meeting with her. She showed me two phones and enthusiastically said:
“I take pictures…I like taking pictures.”
Then, pointing to Michael who was already a week into the job, she said: “…And I saw
that boy taking pictures and I want to do the same…”
At his grade 10 exams, Michael scored all distinctions. Over the next two years,
maintained his high academic performance and juggled leadership roles in school until
he graduated in October from Bumayong Secondary.
In 2017, Phyllia graduated from Lae Secondary School. She was not accepted at DWU
where she wanted to go but instead got accepted to go to ITI. She later withdrew from
ITI because fees were too expensive. She did it without telling her mum that day. Then,
in 2018, she took her papers and hand delivered them to Divine Word University’s
Communication Arts Department in 2019, got accepted, found a sponsorship. She just
completed her first year in communication arts last month.
Since visiting DWU in 2018, Michael has been determined to study journalism. He has
applied and is waiting for the result.
They have been doing work experience at EMTV during holidays every year since 2016.
Moral of the story: If you want something, just go do it. Don’t wait for approval from
your parents or community. Don’t follow your peers. Just go do what you want and work long and hard. Work when everyone is sleeping. Be consistent. Learn as much as you can.