“This appearance has its pros and cons,” said Professor Ravulo who,at the relatively young age of 40,is the first professor of Pasifika heritage at an Australian university after becoming chair of Social Work and Policy Studies at Sydney University in March.
“I like to think more pros,in terms of what this might represent to the world from a diversity point of view. But it’s a con in regards to how the world understands how I look.
“That’s where the challenge lies now,even becoming a professor at Sydney University – to potentially show the world that,irrespective of my appearance,or my ethnicity,or my socio-economic background,or the other intersections in my identity,you can still be a professor.”
Professor Ravulo’s father,Jovesa,is iTaukei (indigenous) Fijian and grew up in Suva. He moved to Australia in the 1970s,where he met Norelle,an Anglo-Australian. They raised their five children in public housing in south-west Sydney.
Mr Ravulo was a factory worker and his wife – who died in 2013 – was a teacher who became a full-time mother. Money was tight,so he would walk rather than catch a bus,so he could spend the two dollars he saved on bread for the family.
“As we became adults we started to realise the sacrifices the adults had made,” said Professor Ravulo. Both parents understood the value of education and emphasised its importance to their children.