When Gabriela and Alejandra Hannouf first arrived at Wesley College, they had never set foot on the University of Sydney’s campus. They had missed the university’s open days, had never visited Sydney to explore their options, and had only experienced Wesley through a virtual tour.
In their second and final year at Wesley, the twins reflected on how their journey from a small regional town to university life at Wesley College had been one of unexpected friendships, new horizons and opportunities that once seemed out of reach. Their story is one of determination, family influence and the transformative power of opportunity - made possible, in no small part, by the scholarships that opened the door to Sydney.
A dream bigger than their hometown
Gabriela and Alejandra spent their early childhood in Brisbane before moving with their mother to Kandos, NSW, where the family hoped to put down new roots. After a year at the local high school, the girls moved to Bathurst to board. Although the experience broadened their horizons, they found themselves in an environment where many of their peers were pursuing agricultural studies, which wasn’t quite the right fit for this adventurous duo.
Both sisters had long imagined life in a bigger city with more opportunities to pursue their interests. The University of Sydney was always their preferred destination - and there was one condition neither was prepared to compromise on: they would go together.
Having first heard about Sydney residential colleges in their final year at school, the sisters began a thorough review of the College websites, where their attention turned to Wesley. The timing was tight and they submitted their applications on the very last day. When offers from Wesley arrived for both sisters, the excitement was shared by the whole family.
“Mum was even more excited than we were, and we were very excited,” they recall.
For their mother Yasmin, the moment carried particular significance. The first in her family to attend university, Yasmin had studied accounting before discovering a love of anthropology at Griffith University. She had always hoped her daughters would have the opportunity to pursue a university education themselves, and seeing them secure places at USYD was the realisation of a long-held dream.
But getting there would require more than determination.
Opening doors through scholarships
The financial realities of moving from regional New South Wales to Sydney made university life a daunting prospect. Without scholarship assistance, the cost of studying and living in the city would have been prohibitive.
The sisters were therefore delighted to receive the Chartwells Scholarship to Wesley, alongside supplementary university scholarships designed to assist students from regional and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Together, these opportunities made a Sydney education possible.
Having never visited Wesley before arriving, the twins stepped into the unknown with a mixture of excitement, disbelief and awe. “It was overwhelming in the best way, and so much better than what we’d expected,” they said. “It was all very surreal. It was literally like Hogwarts.”
The transition from a small regional town to a university college in the heart of Sydney might easily have been intimidating. Yet the sisters found it surprisingly easy to make friends and settle in. They were conscious that their backgrounds might differ from those of some of their fellow students, but this never became a barrier. Rather, they found a community in which they felt welcomed, accepted and at home. It is a sense of belonging they have come to value as much as the academic opportunities that first brought them to Sydney.
Two paths, one shared ambition
Although the twins arrived at Wesley together, their academic interests have taken them in different directions. Gabriela, also known as Gabi, is studying Environmental Engineering and Science, with a particular interest in the possibilities offered by renewable energy and water management.
Alejandra, meanwhile, has followed in her mother's footsteps in studying Archaeology and Ancient History.
Their mother’s own story helps explain the influence she has had on her daughters. After becoming the first generation in her family to attend university, Yasmin completed a PhD and travelled to Spain to work on an archaeological excavation. It was there that she met the girls' Spanish father. The couple's first child was born in Spain before they returned to Australia, where Gabi and Ale were born. That international family history has helped nurture the sisters' curiosity about the world beyond their immediate surroundings - a curiosity they are now preparing to pursue for themselves.
Home, hard work and horizons abroad
Despite their enthusiasm for university life, the sisters remain closely connected to Kandos. Holidays offer a welcome opportunity to return home, reconnect with family and resume their jobs. Both work as lifeguards at the local swimming pool and take on council cleaning and catering jobs. The work keeps them busy during the break and helps replenish their savings before they return to Sydney. It is a practical arrangement that reflects the determination underpinning their university journey. Their lives now span two very different worlds: the close-knit familiarity of home and the expanding opportunities of university life.
Soon, that world will become considerably larger.
Gabi hopes to travel to China later this year for a four-week mobility internship. And next semester, both sisters will embark on semester-long exchanges to Italy, with Gabi heading to Padova and Alejandra to Rome. For the first time, the twins will live and study apart. Although they are looking forward to the independence and experiences this will bring, they are pleased they will be in the same country and look forward to meeting up during their breaks.
For Alejandra, the exchange may also provide an opportunity to take her studies into the field. She hopes to join an archaeological dig in Greece or Cyprus, gaining practical experience that will complement her university studies.
It is an ambition that extends beyond her degree. Ale plans to pursue Honours and a PhD, with the long-term goal of contributing to archaeological excavations overseas. And there is already someone hoping to join her on that journey. “It's Mum's dream to join me on a dig,” she says.
After their exchanges, both hope to return to Sydney, share a house with friends and continue working towards their respective goals. Their paths may diverge, but the confidence and independence they have developed at Wesley will travel with them.
A place to belong
As their time at Wesley draws to a close, the sisters are beginning to contemplate life beyond the College. There is excitement about the opportunities ahead, but also a sense of sadness at leaving a community that has become such an important part of their lives. Reflecting on their time at Wesley, Gabriela says they “could not have asked for a better two years”.
Alejandra shares that gratitude, describing the friendships they have formed. “It feels like everyone here was hand-picked to be our friend, and we were picked out to be theirs.” For two young women who left a small regional town with big ambitions, little experience of Sydney and no certainty about what awaited them, it is a remarkable reflection.
From Kandos to Sydney, and soon to Italy and beyond, Gabriela and Alejandra Hannouf are proof that sometimes the most extraordinary journeys begin with a leap into the unknown — and that the support of a community like Wesley can make all the difference.
