Estee Aiolupotea graduated from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, on 24 September with a conjoint Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts, the university said.
She was born in Samoa and has ties to the villages of Neiafu, Falealupo, Moata'a, Tafitoala, Luatuanu'u, Sa'anapu, Sale'imoa, Fogapoa, Iva and Avao. She moved to New Zealand as a young child, spent much of her upbringing in South Auckland and later moved to the South Island.
The eldest of four siblings, Aiolupotea double majored in Politics and International Relations and in Sociology for her arts degree. She is the first on her father's side of the family to graduate with a law degree, and as the eldest grandchild on her mother's side, the first there to reach the milestone.
Aiolupotea said studying law was always part of her plan, but the significance of graduating only struck her after her final exams, when she spoke with her parents, siblings, aunties and uncles.
She said she thought about her ancestors during her studies, and that her mother reminded her of them. Everything she does is for her parents, she said.
Living away from home helped her build confidence and independence, Aiolupotea said. Volunteering became one of her interests, reflecting the Samoan value of tautua, or service. She received the Toloa Tertiary Scholarship from New Zealand's Ministry for Pacific Peoples, which helped support her studies.
She credited her parents and her maternal grandmother, Fa'api'omalo Sagaga, who she said helped move her into halls of residence each year and drove her where she needed to be. For the past two years she lived with an aunt while finishing her studies.
Aiolupotea also credited friendships made at law school, colleagues at Te Fale Pouawhina, where she worked as a learning assistant, and the university's Career Development and Employment Services Maori and Pacific team, where she works as a content creator.
There were many times when she thought about taking a break or a gap year, she said, but she was glad she continued.
"My path is not unique. It follows the path paved by many Pasefika who came before me, breaking barriers and creating opportunities for the generations that followed," Aiolupotea said.
She plans to take Professional Legal Studies before being admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 2027, and hopes to work in law and policy, with interests in constitutional, family and immigration law. She said family law was one paper she loved because it involves helping people at their most vulnerable, and that migration is an important part of the Pacific story.