A phone nowadays is used to make a call, shoot a text, an email or usually socialize on Social Media with friends and family.
However, one young man has truly captured the positive essence of a phone after he completed his first publication on his old Wowi Phone recently.
23 year old Gerard Ivaloa of Central, Gulf and Morobe Province has published his first book- 70 REMINDERS OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE published under the Shane Baiva Publications receiving his first batch last week Friday.
Ivaloa said it was not easy writing this 206 pages book with over 85 000 words especially on a Wowi Phone but he managed to complete his book in November 2020 after starting on it in September of the same year.
“I live in the ATS settlement here in POM with my mum and two siblings and my home has no access to Electricity.”
“My laptop is power dependent making it almost impossible to write my book but realised that I had a phone I could use instead and that’s exactly what I did.”
“I charged my phone at a trade store in the area for k1 and sometimes in would give to my friends to charge my phone,” he added.
“It was difficult at times but difficult does not mean impossible.”
Despite coming from a financially poor background, he made sure he excelled his studies from primary school through to year 12 which he completed in 2018.
“My family was poor but I was determined to excel in my studies and which I did successfully.”
“Not only did I dux my grade 8 in New Erima Primary School, grade 10 in De La Sale Catholic Secondary School and completed year 12 in Port Moresby National High School with a perfect GPA of 4.0 but I was the School President for all three schools.”
Ivaloa was selected to further his education at the University of Technology, Lae where he took up Mathematics and Computer Science.
However after a semester he realised his true passion lied in issues affecting people and helping people so he left school during second semester to apply for a spot in the law school in UPNG.
“My law school application was unsuccessful last year and it was during this time I decided to get started on this book,” he said.
His reasons for writing his book was simple, to be an inspiration and motivate his generation and students to excel in their studies no matter the circumstances.
“I have always had a passion for public speaking and inspiring youths in my area, school and church to be better people and students.”
“This drew many of my friends to approach me for advice and motivation especially in regards to their education even parents at the local church I attended always enjoyed my preaching and told me they liked the way I addressed the youths at church.”
Upon realizing the magnitude of impact his thoughts and words had amongst his peers; he knew that to inspire the rest of Papua New Guineans young people was through a book thus the idea of 70 Reminders to Excellence was born.
“I chose this title for my book because through the many conversations I have with young people, I have realised that most of them do not fully understand the reason why they are in school and also most parents do not have the ability to motivate, inspire and encourage their children to excel academically.”
“This book is written for students to discover their full potential in their education and includes also the testimonies of students of the Unitech and UPNG but parents can read this as well.”
Through the Shane Baiva Publication 100 copies of his books are right now on the market.
30 have come out last Friday and Ivaloa expects the remaining 70 by the end of this week.
Gerard Ivaloa’s book 70 Reminders of Academic Excellence are going for a price of k50.