HELENA’S ALUMNI AWARD
Proud mum’s secret nomination for Young Alumni Award comes up trumps when Helena Franco takes out the prestigious prize at Bond University celebration night
HELENA Franco went to Bond University’s annual Alumni Awards for a night of fun.
She left the winner of an award her mother
secretly nominated her for.
In front of dozens of guests and fellow award winners, Ms Franco, a graduate of Bond’s medical studies degree, accepted the Young Alumni Award
The 23-year-old discovered
her nomination while on a late shift at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, where she now interns.
“I opened the email when I was on a very late break … eating my sandwich before going back to the emergency department,” she said. “It turned out it was actually my mum who nominated me, so that was really lovely.”
Ms Franco is no stranger to grand successes, starting out as a member of the Golden Key Club and SRC at her Brisbane high school, as well as earning a number of academic awards.
Previously Bond’s topscoring debater, she received first place in multiple surgical competitions and was the first female president of the university’s surgical society.
Following her graduation, Ms Franco joined the organising committee for the first global surgery student conference, the International Global Surgery Symposium, in Belgium this month.
Though she said her path to medicine had been difficult at times, being part of the industry made it all worth it.
“I think especially now that I’ve finished, it makes sense why we were meant to study so hard,” she said.
“Even as a junior doctor you still have such a responsibility and you’re dealing with people, rather than exam questions.
“You’re not studying for an exam any more, you’re studying to deal with a patient.
“So it’s a very different kind of approach.
“There have been times where I’m like, ‘this is a lot’, and I am young, so maybe my friends have had more enjoyable a time than I have, but I think it’s so worth it.”
At the alumni awards, lawyer Kate Gibson received the Community Achievement Award and diplomat Rohan Titus won the Robert Stable Medal.
With the Young Alumni Award now under her belt, Ms Franco has set her sights on a career overseas.