"She was always checking up on me, saying 'are you sure you should be doing that' and I know she would be worried about the heavy lifting, but she would always support me in whatever decisions I make.
"It breaks me, but I had to keep going for my family. I'm doing the course and looking after my grandmother. It's not an easy journey, but I'm not alone."
Now, armed with a recent NZ Certificate in Construction from UCOL and a new building job, she hoped to one day go back to Samoa and build her father and three brothers and four sisters a new home.
"To help my family would be the ultimate goal. I'll be the first one in my family to work in construction. One day I might go on to train someone else someday and help lead the way."
She proudly sported a badge with her mother's photo pinned to her chest through the graduation ceremony.
"This is the first graduation in my life. It's a good feeling," she said.
"When I was little I wanted to be a nurse and maybe a doctor, but life doesn't always work out to a plan."
Earlier last year she watched as three builders came to their home in Levin for renovations that still hadn't been completed.
"That really pushed me...that got me thinking maybe I could finish that off myself. I've now done the floors and the painting," she said.
UCOL lecturer Lee Thompson said Ms Tufuga work was high quality and she was a natural leader and a role model to other students.
"She's shown up most of the class. She's still the best at swinging a hammer out of all of them."
Ms Tufuga was offered a job with TSP Construction after completing a 90-day trial period. While she had amassed some tools, she was saving money to purchase new power tools.
She said walking onto a building site was initially a daunting experience.
"When I first started I was too shy and could barely say a word but I've started to get some confidence and make friends with the people I work with. It's been a good experience," she said.
TSP Construction managing director Todd Strode-Penny, who employed 18 people, said he offered Ms Tufuga a job on merit only. He was proud of the fact his company now had its first woman on tools.
"I'm quite proud of the fact that we have Joy with us, moving forward. I think she is a real asset to the company," he said
"She's been with us for an entire year every Thursday and is very reliable and I didn't hesitate in offering her a full-time job now her studies have been completed."
"People have to snap out of the mentality of what is a man's job and what is a woman's job. I think we are a lot more open about women in trades now, and you need to be."
Ms Tufuga was one of a few students who received free fees from Māori and Pasifika Trades Training support this year.
She said it was a huge help in achieving her goal and wanted to work towards a building apprenticeship.
