Marjorie Araneta has begun University more than a year earlier than she was expecting to when she moved from the Philippines to Australia, and she says it’s all thanks to Bond College.
Marjorie is one of 17 students who graduated from Bond College on Friday, June 6, after completing the year-12 equivalent Foundation Program in just eight months.
When she moved from the Philippines to Australia with her family in September 2007, Marjorie expected to have to complete years 11 and 12 before she could pursue her goal of studying at University.
"I had completed Year 12 in the Philippines, but Year 12 there is rated as equivalent to Year 10 in Australian High Schools.
"I was almost ready to enrol at a local high school to complete Years 11 & 12, when I came across Bond College, and realised I could achieve in eight months what was otherwise going to take me two years. It was an easy decision!"
It’s a decision Marjorie has no regrets about. Having successfully completed the Foundation Program, she started her Bachelor of Information Technology at Bond University this semester (May, 2008).
"I loved my time at Bond College and it definitely helped me prepare for uni," Marjorie said.
"Because it (Bond College) is a part of the University campus, I already had a feel for the place before I started my degree.
"Plus, I used to get really nervous about my essays and oral presentations, but now I don’t, because we did so many of them at Bond College.
"My teachers always gave me great feedback and we were graded according to university standards, so now I feel a lot more confident with my university assessments," she said.
Marjorie’s success story is one that is repeated across all 17 Bond College graduates, with each of them choosing to enrol in undergraduate degrees at Bond University.
"I get to see my Bond College friends every day," Marjorie said.
"There’s a whole group of us who sit together in the Strategic Management lectures- we take up a whole row!"
Not that Marjorie is lacking familiar faces around campus, with her brother and two sisters also studying at Bond.
"My brother is studying a Bachelor of Business, my eldest sister is completing post grad Law, and my other sister is enrolled in a Master of Forensic Science."
Marjorie has plans for further study herself, already planning to study a Masters degree once she completes her Bachelor of I.T.
"Once I graduate with my I.T. degree, I think I’ll work for a while, and then go back to Bond to study my Masters in Business and Law.
"I really want a well-rounded education that allows me to climb right to the top. I have really high aspirations. One day I want to own my own ‘Microsoft’."
With confidence and ambition like that, one cannot help but believe that she will.
Never have Australian students had greater access to an affordable, private tertiary education, thanks to the Federal Government’s Fee-Help and the generous $10 million Scholarship Program on offer at Bond University.
Charles Nugent-Young, who graduated from Brisbane's Nudgee College in 2007, is following in his late father John’s footsteps, looking to carry on his legacy by studying to become a lawyer. 
Another 450 ‘Bondies’ are ready to bring their career ambitions to life after graduating at our most recent Graduation Ceremony. 
Sunday, August 17, is a day to mark in the diary for anyone wanting to bring their career ambitions to life. Bond University will welcome prospective students, their families, friends and the wider Gold Coast community to enjoy the University’s Open Day festivities from 10am to 3pm.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Stable has officially opened the University's latest exciting formal teaching space, known as the ‘Pod Room’, designed to facilitate interactivity, teamwork, and sociability among students.
In May 2009, Bond University will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a gala red carpet event to commemorate this important milestone in our history.
This month we celebrate the achievements of Professor Sudhir Kalé, student fundraisers Aakriti Chawla and Samantha Thompson and our resident rugby union star Ben Daley. Also find out how you can nominate your favourite lecturer for the National Lecturer of the Year Competition.
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In China, all eyes are on Bond Alumnus Cameron Andersen, who, in addition to working as a commercial investment lawyer for over three years, has managed to host China’s version of the popular TV travel show "Getaway". 
