Many success stories of trailblazing Bondies started with a scholarship.
On May 15 the Bond community will dig deep for Giving Day to unlock the same opportunities for a new generation of scholars. Here’s how a Bond scholarship transformed the lives and careers of five alumni.
David Baxby
David Baxby’s careers counsellor at high school thought he’d make a good tradie.
Not too many years later he was Richard Branson’s right-hand man as Co-CEO of the Virgin Group.
In between he secured a half scholarship to Bond University that would transform his life and take him from Logan to Geneva.
Mr Baxby (Class of 1992) studied Law and Commerce and said Bond provided him with the education and opportunities to achieve his goals.
“There was a lot of flexibility – I was able to shape my degree to the things I was interested in. I had a passion for investment banking and the university made it happen for me,” Mr Baxby said.
Annelise Nielsen
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Annelise Nielsen (Class of 2008) studied law on a Vynka Hohnen Scholarship which is awarded annually to a West Australian Year 12 student.
These days, Ms Nielsen is a familiar face on television as the Washington Correspondent for Sky News Australia.
After graduating, Ms Nielsen worked as an auditor for a year but a journalistic career beckoned.
An internship at the Los Angeles bureau of Channel 7 led to a job as a TV producer in Ballarat and reporting roles in Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Melbourne and Beijing.
Ms Nielsen got her Washington posting by asking to travel to the US to cover the Iowa caucuses.
“It was obviously the biggest political story in the world, and I really wanted to be there. I offered to pay my own way … and the response was: ‘OK, here’s a camera kit, go for it’.”
Myora Stone
Myora Stone (Class of 2016) was the first student to receive Bond University’s Indigenous Medical Scholarship and one of the first two Indigenous doctors to graduate from the Medical Program.
The achievement was made even more special by her heritage.
“My family is the Kombumerri people of Southport which is actually the land Bond is built on,” Dr Stone said.
“I’ve been very privileged to be able to learn medicine on my traditional family land.”
Dr Stone continues to practise on Kombumerri country as a doctor at Good Coast University Hospital.
Alexander Smith
Alexander Smith is the recipient of two scholarships which helped him go on to study at two of the world’s finest universities.
Mr Smith obtained Law and International Relations degrees at Bond on a Vice Chancellor’s Elite Scholarship which landed him jobs at the United Nations and at a top Sydney law firm.
But he wasn’t done with study yet. Mr Smith applied for a Bond University Global Alumni Scholarship which provide financial support to outstanding graduates to undertake postgraduate studies.
He obtained a Master of Law at Cambridge, then a Master of Public Policy at Harvard.
Today Mr Smith works at Google in government affairs and public policy, striving to keep the internet safe and accessible.
“Google blocks 40 billion spam sites a day and when you realise this scale, you need relationships between industry and Government to keep people safe,” he said.
“This is where my international relations degree from Bond has really weaved its way into my work.”
Kiah Officer
Kiah Officer (Class of 1997) was awarded a Vice-Chancellor's Academic Scholarship and studied Law and Arts. These days she deploys skills from both degrees daily as Executive Counsel for Nine.
It’s a role that mixes showbiz with high-profile news investigations and litigation.
Ms Officer works with journalists, producers and executives of the multimedia group to avoid legal issues, and oversees court matters when trouble does arise.
In what is an incredibly varied role she can find herself working on issues with 60 Minutes, MAFS, a drama series or preparing submissions for media regulators.
Ms Officer says she loves the variety of work which changes day-to-day.
A former President of the Bond University Student Association, she began her career with law firm Ashurst.
Bond University offers 25 different scholarships across six categories: academic, leadership, community, sport, indigenous heritage and entrepreneurial.
Click here to support Bond University scholarships this Giving Day.