If your mother, father and sister all attended the same university, it’s only natural you might at least consider forging a different path.
Zara Baxby certainly did.
But the gravitational pull between Bond University and the Baxby family is strong.
It’s where Ms Baxby’s parents David (Class of 1992) and Selina (Class of 1991) met as students, and where her twin sister Imogen (Class of 2020) graduated with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
Ultimately, Ms Baxby also chose to study at Bond, although it was a choice made on her own terms, for her own reasons.
“I had thoughts about potentially going to somewhere new, but when it came down to it, Bond ticked all the boxes for me,” Ms Baxby said.
So, after a stint overseas, Ms Baxby began the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws combined program - the same degrees her father completed almost 30 years prior.
The academic combination certainly worked out well for Mr Baxby, a highly successful businessman, former CEO of Global Blue and former Co-CEO of the Virgin Group, and currently the Co-Founder and Partner at Coogee Capital. Selina Baxby is a Principal at her own leadership development company, NurtureLab.
“My dad has always encouraged us to set our own paths and I was never pressured to do anything,” Ms Baxby said.
“In a way I loved the fact that we studied the same degree because we have overlapping passions, but I was also conscious of wanting to craft my own path.”
Ms Baxby graduated with First Class Honours in Law and was President of the Law Student Association.
“The law side was innate. I love a good debate and had a strong interest in advocacy and so law seemed like a natural progression from high school,” she said.
“I focused a lot more on my law side throughout my degree. It’s where I had more of a passion academically and could really sink my teeth in.”
Ms Baxby received numerous ‘first in class’ awards for Law and Commerce subjects including three out of four in one semester.
But surprisingly, she didn’t continue with her law focus post-degree.
Three weeks ago, Ms Baxby began a graduate role as an Investment Banking Analyst at Jarden in Sydney.
Although initially saddened to leave the Gold Coast to return to Sydney where she spent her later high school years, she’s since realised it’s exactly where she wants to be for now.
“Before I came here (to Bond), I never thought I’d end up back in Sydney but Bond allowed me to build a network of Bondies that were also from or were moving to Sydney.
“I realised I could get the bigger city benefits of Sydney and also the Bond friendships that I didn’t want to lose.”
“Even though the Gold Coast is a great community, Sydney is so suitable to me in terms of my long-term career.”
Looking back, Ms Baxby is also glad her initial hesitancy didn’t stop her from attending Bond.
“Bond can be all-encompassing, especially when you’re here for three semesters a year - the time you spend really adds up,” she said.
“The relationships you build with both faculty and your classmates - people you live with - are just so much deeper than what you would get anywhere else, and it really allowed me to grow roots in Australia for the first time.”