After completing her B.A in English Language and Literature at Al Azhar University in Gaza on the honour list, Mona worked as a teacher at State Schools (Basic, Preparatory and Secondary levels), and a trainer of novice teachers. She then pursued her MSc in Higher Education at Oxford University. She graduated with distinction and returned to Gaza to work at two universities there. During this period, she also co-founded two centres and a scholarship programme at Gaza's universities. After five years, Mona won the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to study for a PhD in Cambridge, as their first scholar ever from Gaza, and the second from Palestine.

Mona has recently completed her PhD studies and passed her viva with no corrections. Both her MSc and PhD research were pioneer studies that focused on higher education in the Palestinian context. Mona produced four films from her PhD thesis, available at https://monajebril.wixsite.com/atthecrossroad/films. She is looking forward to conducting more studies on Gaza, which is a significantly under-researched area. She would like to gain a deeper understanding of dimensions of higher education at Gaza's universities that were identified through her PhD research.

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