Meshach Kamoda is readier than ever to marry the woman he loves. The invitations are out, the venue is booked and the bride’s parents have journeyed from the US for the occasion.

And Meshach has no reservations about the fact that his bride-to-be will see him in HIS gown before their wedding day on December 4. Graduation gown, that is.

For what has to be a first for Central Queensland University Fiji International Campus in Suva, students Meshach Komoda and Deena Raniga will graduate together at the upcoming ceremony on November 28, and within days will marry in front of 300 delighted fellow students, friends and family members.

Central Queensland University Fiji International Campus will hold its 13th graduation ceremony at 4.30pm (Fiji time) at the Tradewinds Convention Centre, Lami, Suva.

The two met within the first week of beginning their Bachelor of Business degrees in 2002, and according to Meshach, his studies looked promising from the start.

“During our student orientation session, I remember thinking to myself that I needed to commit to study and not get distracted ... and then glancing around the room, I spotted her. I kept looking at Deena from a distance thinking, ‘I must meet this girl’,” Meshach explained.

But it wasn’t until the second Semester that the star-crossed accountancy students had the chance to speak to each other – albeit in rather hushed tones, since they were in the campus library studying for exams. While whispering sweet-nothings may have been Meshach’s intention that day, the reality was that the books had to balance: in more ways than one.

“It wasn’t easy in the beginning, since Deena was so focused on her studies and I was, well, focused on Deena,” recalls Meshach with mischievous recollection.

Pretty soon, however, they found themselves inseparable on and off campus, and in March 2004 the two were engaged, inspiring the kind of highly charged emotion rarely seen amongst the ledgers of the average accounting tutorial. If Deena and Meshach thought that this was the pinnacle of their romance though, the best was yet to come as they embarked on their final course together: auditing.

As they approached the two major milestones in their lives that will shape their future together, both admit that their decision to study at CQU almost seemed serendipitous.

By the end of next week they will have acquired two Bachelor of Business degrees, a marriage certificate, a lifelong partner and a mountain of memories to cherish.

And while there is no doubt that Meshach will look dashing in his academic gown, the word is that the sight of his bride in her wedding gown will light up his eyes even more than usual. If that’s possible.

CQU operates its Fiji campus in the Vinod Patel Plaza in Laucala Beach Estate.