Dunya Alruhaimi - 2025 UNE Alumni Community Award
In recognition of her exceptional dedication to supporting multicultural and refugee communities through advocacy, education, and inclusive programs that empower international students and families.
Those who nominated Dr Dunya Alruhaimi for the 2025 UNE Alumni Community Award describe her as a pillar of the Armidale community and true changemaker, praising her service, scholarship and spirit.
Several major awards also honour her contributions to fostering diversity and inclusion, including the NSW International Student of the Year Award (in 2015) and prestigious international PIEoneer Award she received in 2017.
But the real depth of Dunya’s compassion and kindness is reflected in the personal lives she has helped to change, mostly as a volunteer. From the many Arabic-speaking women she has escorted to maternity appointments, the families she has guided to acquire loans and homes, and the vital work experience she now gives refugees in her professional capacity. And the single mother, a member of the large Ezidi population that began resettling in Armidale in early 2018.
“She came here with no language, no experience, no skills, and asked me for help,” Dunya says. “I supported her to get a food handling certificate and to set up a Sunday market stall because, like all of us ladies from Iraq, she could cook – and cooking doesn’t need language. It grew into her own business selling felafel and biryani and other Iraqi-style food and she started to become independent, step-by-step. It helped some others to get a job, too. Now she has moved to another city and bought a house.”
Dunya’s reputation as a “go-to” person was well established before the region began welcoming refugees. She had come to Armidale with her husband Hussein Almoadhen (and their two young children) in 2013 so they could study at UNE – Hussein a Master of Animal Science degree and Dunya an ESL course that led to a Master of Education (TESOL).
Very soon, Dunya’s propensity for welcoming and empowering others was recognised, and she became a Project Officer for UNE’s International Hub, developing initiatives to support international students academically, socially and emotionally. That took the shape of driving workshops, cultural immersion events and projects to foster relationships in the broader Armidale community, earning the hub the 2017 NSW International Student Award for Community Engagement.
Dunya appreciated the challenges of navigating life in a new country.
“I had passed through the same experience; it is a strange feeling at the beginning. Even in my second year I cried and wanted to go back to Iraq. So I did not wait when I saw needs arising. I started talking to the international students and helping and referring.
“We initiated the multicultural women’s group, started English language lessons and women-only swimming classes. I started Culture Fest [now a major event on the Armidale social calendar] in the backyard of a small house in Butler Street.”
By the time the Ezidi people arrived, Dunya had a clear idea of what was needed to support the health and wellbeing of newcomers and to promote a more inclusive society – like culturally safe and equitable access to health services, tutoring to help parents become active educators in their children’s learning, and community integration.
“Dunya has developed support networks that go beyond academic needs, addressing housing, transportation, mental health and cultural identity,” says Adele Nye, an Associate Professor in UNE’s School of Education and co-supervisor of Dunya’s PhD. “She has provided cultural competency training to local service providers, promoting mutual respect and understanding across cultural boundaries.”
Monica Jebet, Manager of the Armidale office of Settlement Services International (SSI) – where Dunya worked for six years as a case worker and housing officer – said Dunya is “a remarkable community leader whose work consistently uplifts others”.
“It is Dunya’s humility, integrity and deep empathy that truly define her,” Monica says. “During her time with SSI and beyond, she worked tirelessly to help Ezidi families settle into their new lives in Australia. She provided practical and emotional support, advocated for their needs, and played a key role in helping them navigate complex systems and feel safe and welcome. Her deep cultural sensitivity and commitment to human dignity have made a lasting difference in the lives of these families.”
In 2024 Dunya added a PhD from UNE to her qualifications, and she now works in the disability support sector. Her efforts to help build a more inclusive society, where diversity is celebrated and all voices are heard, continue.
“People know my number and reach me if they need something; I do not hesitate to make life better for someone else,” Dunya says. “When I do something for someone, it is not only for them – it gives me happiness to last the whole day.”
Twelve years on, Armidale is Dunya’s “second home”. “She has given us opportunity, flexibility, respect … everything. So we should also be good citizens and help this great country.
“If we help another family to settle, when they settle in they will do the same for another ... and it can continue from generation to generation.”
*Dunya acknowledges her UNE PhD co-supervisor, now Adjunct Associate Professor Dr Susan Feez, for encouraging her to achieve her goals.
