Mona Izzeldin

What this episode covers

All it took was one photo for Mona Izzeldin to fall in love with the Gold Coast. The fact that it was her older brother who had the Bond University brochure and was considering coming here didn’t stop Mona from becoming the first member of her family to study at the prestigious Gold Coast institution. Her brother would later follow. Mona was absolutely taken with the idea of studying at Bond, yet she still had to wait three more years to finish school before she could realise her dream. Regardless of Bond’s stellar reputation, leaving Dubai to come to the Gold Coast was a huge leap of faith for a 17 year old girl who had never travelled so far on her own before. Certainly spending her first six months here with a homestay family was a big help in making Mona’s transition easier. Mona had always been fascinated by science at school, and while her Mum may have been happier had Mona pursued medicine, she reasoned that biomedical science was a good compromise to study at Bond. During her time at university Mona engaged in a host of extra curricular activities, from the Mayor’s Student Ambassador program to the TIQ International Student Advisory Panel where she advocated for her fellow students. Now carving out a career as a hazmat consultant travelling across Australia, Mona’s dream has become a reality, one she has no intention of letting slip through her fingers.

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