Celebrating 20 years of UniVol in 2026: Savannah's Univol journey in the Cook Islands

This year marks 20 years of VSA’s UniVol graduate programme – 20 years of supporting recent graduates from Aotearoa New Zealand to share their skills, learn alongside Pacific communities, and create lasting change.

Over that time, UniVol volunteers have worked across the Pacific and beyond, supporting education, health, livelihoods and community resilience. The story of Savannah Sullivan, a VSA UniVol volunteer, and Student Learning and Support Assistant at the Cook Islands campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP), beautifully captures the impact of this programme – for students, communities, and the volunteers themselves.

At the heart of VSA’s volunteering model are our partner organisations. Volunteer roles are designed in close partnership with local organisations like USP, ensuring volunteers respond to priorities identified by the community itself.

This approach means volunteers like Savannah don’t arrive with solutions, but work alongside partners to strengthen local capacity and support long-term, locally-led development.

Established in Suva, Fiji in 1968, the University of the South Pacific now serves students across 12 Pacific Island nations, including the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands campus, founded in 1975, carries the powerful tagline: “Stay home and go far”. As the only university based in the Cook Islands, USP gives students the chance to pursue tertiary education while remaining close to their families, culture, and communities.

Tureheni File, Officer in Charge of USP Cook Islands, explains, “USP offers students the opportunity to achieve their academic goals while being able to stay home – surrounded by their support networks, culture, and lifestyle. The University is Pacific-centric, guided by Pacific values, and focused on developing pathways that are contextually relevant for our community.”

However, studying at a satellite campus comes with challenges. Students in the Cook Islands study online, attending lectures across time zones, often balancing study with work and family commitments. Many are the first in their family to attend university and are navigating digital learning for the first time.

Despite this, students persevere – because education offers a pathway not only for themselves, but for the future of their community.

As a recent graduate of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, Savannah understood firsthand how powerful student learning support can be. While at USP Cook Islands, she worked with students who were often new to tertiary study and online learning. Savannah facilitated workshops on time management, academic writing, referencing, exam preparation, digital literacy, and presentation skills – practical tools that helped students build confidence and succeed.

Tureheni shares, “Savannah’s work supported the seamless transition into university life for our first-year students. She supported students enrolled in the compulsory course ‘UU114: English Language Skills for Tertiary Studies’ as a Teaching Assistant. With her support, the pass rate for this course was 100%. Historically, this has been a very challenging course for our students, so these results are exceptional.”

Beyond academic support, Savannah provided encouragement and pastoral care. For students logging on to study late at night after work and family responsibilities, knowing someone believed in them made all the difference.

Savannah’s impact reached beyond current students. On a visit to Mangaia, she attended a careers expo, speaking with children as young as five about the opportunities education can create. She also advised secondary school students on subject choices to prepare for careers in fields such as law and psychology.

At another community event, Savannah connected with the Cook Islands Police, exploring opportunities for further training and professional development through USP – strengthening pathways between education and employment.

Savannah’s presence also influenced staff at USP. “The way Savannah reacts with students, along with her positivity and can-do attitude, has guided other staff in their own work,” says Tureheni.

The impact of UniVol volunteers like Savannah has been so clear that USP Cook Islands is now advocating for a full-time Student Learning and Support Assistant role – a lasting legacy of the VSA UniVol graduate programme.

Through stories like Savannah’s, we’re reminded that real change happens through partnership and community-led change. As we mark 20 years of VSA’s UniVol graduate programme, we celebrate all the wonderful volunteers who have volunteered through the UniVol programme, and the organisations and communities that have partnered with them to make a lasting impact.

Savannah and fellow USP staff members Selane (left) and Poko (middle)