Laulala siblings journey with Ignite
3 June 2022
Shekhinahglory and Junior Laulala are siblings who joined PwC through the Ignite programme in 2021 and have progressed in their respective careers since.
Born and raised in Samoa hailing from the villages of Sapapali’i, Savai’i (paternal) and Salani, Falealili (maternal) the duo migrated to Aotearoa in 2006. As the only two siblings in their family, they have a close bond.
Their story is unique. With little prior knowledge of PwC, or who or what ‘The Big 4’ were, Junior found out about the Ignite Programme through his network with GirlBoss. When he saw a social post about the partnership with PwC, he found more information about the Ignite programme and saw an opportunity for both him and his sister to apply.
Both were successful in their application and were accepted into the programme, joining the Microsoft cohort in June 2021 and are now full time tech consultants for PwC. For Junior, this is a career change from the photography career he had previously and Shekhinahglory joined straight from high school.
The pair have experienced challenges as they navigated the complexities of working in a large firm. Shekhinahglory found herself lacking confidence joining PwC without a university degree, while Junior went from being his own boss to part of a large organisation.
The support provided through the Ignite programme, their coaches and mentors, and PwC’s Pacific Village, helped overcome this, and both are thriving in their roles.
Both strongly identify with the Samoan proverb, “O le ala ile pule o le tautua", which means the pathway to leadership is through service.
Shekhinaglory and Junior say their Samoan culture plays an integral part in bringing their full selves to work as they represent themselves and their family. They pride themselves on always giving their best, whether that is helping colleagues, championing their Samoan heritage in the Pacific Village, or delivering value for clients.
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