BondCare TLC extends to PNG

Joanna Tupou isn’t quite sure how she would have made it through her first semester at Bond without the support of the BondCare team. The Australia Award scholarship winner came to Bond in January from her home in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to start her MBA and Master of Project Management.

But pursuing her dreams meant leaving her four children aged 14, 12, 11 and four months with her family in PNG. Along with the fear and homesickness that can come with studying abroad, Ms Tupou was wrestling with the impact of being separated from her children. Her connection with BondCare Student Wellbeing Officer Iesha Shafei and the support, comfort and advice she provided gave Ms Tupou the confidence she needed to carry on.

“Talking with Iesha, she let me know that I do have options, that if I needed to go back it was a possibility and that was really helpful,” Ms Tupou says. “Knowing I had the space to make that decision and that there were options available to me made such a difference.”

Ms Tupou originally connected with BondCare when one of her assigned classes fell on a Saturday, traditionally a day of worship for Seventh Day Adventists. The team supported Ms Tupou to have the class changed without impacting her degree, connecting her with the appropriate people and services.

“Having that guidance and support and knowing that Iesha would be the conduit for me, was really valuable,” she says.

Creating individual connections with students and being their link to services and support inside and outside of the University is a key aspect of BondCare, says Director of Student Success and Wellbeing Kerry Valentine.

“BondCare takes a holistic approach to supporting students through university by connecting them with one of our three highly-skilled student wellbeing officers who become a touchpoint for students no matter the type of support they need,” she says. “It might be as simple as being an objective ear in stressful times right through to helping a student find housing or connecting them with services that can help with medical or mental health issues. It’s not just about what’s happening at university but in their whole lives – BondCare offers support to the whole person, not only the student.”

Knowing I had the space to make that decision and that there were options available to me made such a difference.