Mr Lesa was 32 when he left South Auckland for Dunedin in 1997 to study at the School of Physical Education.
"I look back on my journey, and it’s a great Otago University story.
"I was a young South Pacific kid who didn’t even know what a semester was," Mr Lesa said.
Mr Lesa had been working with at-risk youth at Te Hou Ora, after which he became a youth pastor in Tauranga with a congregation of mostly Pakeha families.
He moved to Dunedin with his partner, Raewyn, and two children, Caleb and Alexandra.
Money was tight at first, so Mr Lesa took a part-time deputy warden role at Aquinas College. This included accommodation for his family, which became larger with the birth of his son, Josiah.
"I thought I was in paradise.
"I enjoyed helping young people find the careers they wanted, and having a bit of fun along the way," Mr Lesa said.
After graduating in 2002, Mr Lesa became warden of Studholme College, supervising 187 students. He joined Cumberland in 2020, where he had 327 students to supervise.
"I looked after everything to do with the college: social life, sports, other programmes.
‘‘It’s a lot, and it’s great," he said.
"Everybody mattered.
"We wanted students to be valued, loved, and accepted for who they are," he said.
In retirement, Mr and Mrs Lesa are moving to Mosgiel and he had been contemplating a mentoring role for Pasifika students and staff.
"I’d like to be able to offer back to the university," Mr Lesa said.
