I was born and raised in Samoa, with its temperate climate, sandy beaches and freshly-grown produce. I think being named after my grandmother reflects how Samoa’s culture is so integrated around its core principle -- family. Ever since I could remember, my parents ingrained into me essential values reflective of our society…

“My uncle was the first gastroenterologist in Malaysia. Naturally, my family regarded medicine as a noble profession that would guarantee financial freedom, hence every child in the family was forced to pursue it. This was stressful as I never wanted to be a doctor and the stress was compounded by my father’s beliefs that failing to get into medicine in University of Malaya (UM) meant you were stupid and that non-specialist medical practitioners were on par with college dropouts.’’