After finishing year 12 at the end of 2019 Port Macquarie's Nicola di Bona spent a month touring Europe as part of a United Nations youth leaders delegation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The trip was a chance for her to interact with European policy makers and politicians as well as talk to frontline staff helping men, women and children across the continent.
The former MacKillop College student was a participant in the 2019 NSW Youth Parliament which she said built the foundation for conversations across Europe.
She was one of only a handful of Australia young people who were selected after a vigorous application process.
"The Europe trip was absolutely the trip of a lifetime and I had some really inspiring and productive conversations with leaders who can make real change," Nicola said.
"I visited seven cities and had amazing opportunities to talk about the need to stop sexual assault, women's rights and other humanitarian issues impacted people across the globe."
Nicola pointed to Krakow, Vienna and Auschwitz as pivotal moments of the trip she will remember forever.
"After doing legal studies for my HSC during the trip I was able to talk about our legal system with some pretty influential people which was amazing," she said.
"I am so proud that the conversations I had while over there might impact change in even a small way because it shows that students in Port Macquarie do have the ability to work on a global stage.
"Another highlight was being in Europe and at the European Parliament for Brexit. To see that huge change happen right in front of my eyes was incredible.
"People were and still are so passionate on both sides of the issues being able to see that up close was phenomenal."
What else is making news?
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.
