Braelynn Yee, a household name in the sport of athletics in Fiji was recently awarded the Griffith University Oceania Australia Foundation Athletics Business Scholarship. Making her one of the many Fiji athletes in recent years to be awarded an athletic and academic scholarship overseas.
The scholarship provides an opportunity for one promising athlete from the Oceania region, commencing this year 2024, to develop their athletic potential whilst completing a three-year Bachelor of Business degree at Griffith University Gold Coast campus and is supported and funded by Griffith University, Oceania Australia Foundation and Oceania Athletics Association.
The announcement of Braelynn’s successful awarding of the scholarship came about on the 19th of January 2024.
I will remember this day Thursday 19th January; my world was filled with so much gratitude and God’s blessings in the palm of my hand.
I checked my student Griffith email and I saw an email from Sarah Todd – Vice President (Global) Griffith University. It never crossed my mind that it was the scholarship email or the outcome of it because it was 1 week early. Also, this email has been sitting in my student inbox for 8 hours. As I opened the PDF document in the email, I had to read the letter 3 times just to be sure I’m not jumping the gun.
I rang my mother, it was 2am in SFO and all I can remember telling my mum was “Mum I got the scholarship” and I couldn’t talk after that for 15mins as I cried and all I can hear my mum saying “aww Brae I’m so proud of you” “I want to hug you right now my daughter” “God is Good Brae- Good things come to those who wait” and you know what we did – We bowed our heads and prayed the Flying Novena. I called my father, and he was driving but he was so persistent on forcing me to tell him what happened? As I told him the good news he had to stop driving and contain his emotions. He was in shock of how fast the scholarship result had come out, but he couldn’t stop saying how proud he was. This is my golden opportunity and dream scholarship.
Braelynn was a member of the Laucala Bay Athletics Club, she represented Fiji at the 2017 & 2019 Oceania Area Championships, the 2017 Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games, 2021 Pacific Mini Games and the 2019 & 2023 Pacific Games.
In all her high school years, Braelynn was always a top contender at the annual Fiji Finals from 2015 – 2019. Running for Natabua High School in the earlier grades and then for St. Joseph’s Secondary School in the later grades.
Following her senior year in high school Braelynn enrolled at the University of the South Pacific in 2020 and completed only a year of school where she double majored in Computer Science and Information System. She didn’t continue her studies as she had accepted a job offer with local bank – HFC BANK in January of 2021 as a Bank Teller in Retail Banking Department at the HFC BANK Lautoka branch for 1 year. She was then successfully chosen to be part of the CEO Graduate Training Program for 7 months to which then she was appointed as a Treasury Analyst in the Treasury Department at HFC HQ from August 2022 – May 2023.
Despite her ridiculously busy schedule Braelynn never lost her love for the sport of athletics and continued training and competing in the local competitions that saw her qualify for the various regional games and championships mentioned earlier.
I love athletics and I’m very passionate about it, God gave me this talent and I’m good at it so why should I not make use of this talent that God blessed me with.
Education was always a priority and the thought of being awarded any athletics and academic scholarship of any sort never ever crossed her mind. This scholarship will allow her to pursue a Bachelor of Business but also provide her with a golden opportunity to train with some of the best athletes and coaches in the Oceania Region.
Following the announcement of the awarding of the scholarship, it took Braelynn and her parents a week to finally accept and realize that “this” was happening. It was a week full of many emotions and feelings. The Yee’s stem from a family deeply rooted in the Catholic faith, and “this” was a living testimony of God’s work.
My heart will always be filled with so much gratitude and now all I can do is believe and trust in my God because his plans are the best and he never stops blessings me.
Also. My mother hardly slept for 3 days straight after I told her the news that she booked herself on the next flight to Brisbane (when she got back from SFO) just to come and hug me, celebrate my scholarship outcome. Probably the best time I had with her and just to be with my mother to celebrate my success.
Braelynn believes that one day when her time is right and when all her goals are achieved, she will then be able to tell her story, in hope that it will inspire young athletes who are still trying to find their future or still trying to figure things out, to guide them, to let them know to never give up and to always persevere.
Story by: Athletics Fiji (20/02/2024)