Loloma Kakala Homasi dreamt of advancing her career on an international level before moving to Canberra. She came to ANU with a background in climate change, with a postgraduate diploma in Climate Change from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji and having worked at Department of Climate Change in Tuvalu, a nation that is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change like coastal inundation, natural disasters and the impacts of saltwater on agriculture. 

Loloma started her Master of Climate Change at the Crawford School of Public Policy to build on her knowledge of adaptation and mitigation from a more international perspective. Originally from Tonga, Loloma lived in Tuvalu for many years and had the opportunity to pursue with support from the governments of Tuvalu and Australia. 

Climate change adaptation and mitigation were areas that Loloma was able to explore in depth during her studies, with disaster solutions particularly important in the Pacific. 

‘It transformed me as a person. I learnt about the Pacific, but I also got an international perspective’ Loloma said.  

For Loloma, the best part of the degree was undoubtedly the people, from the students to the lecturers. One highlight was a guest lecture from Professor Mark Howden, who was inspirational in his passion for climate change adaptation and mitigation.  

‘The network you gain and the information you learn from them is so valuable’ said Loloma.  

Since completing her studies in 2024, Loloma was appointed deputy CEO for the Ministry of Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovation in Tuvalu. In the future, she plans to return to Tonga and apply her expertise over there.  

‘I have served Tuvalu for many years, and I think it’s about time to explore other challenges through the regional organisations and perhaps to have an opportunity to serve Tonga’ Loloma said.