What’s happening

Some photos from the Curtin Young Alumni Chapter's recent Coffee & Conversations event at Brew-Ha Kings Square in Perth! We loved meeting some new faces and hearing their career journeys since graduating... over steaming cups of coffee ☕

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and we can't wait to see you again at the next event!

Click on the link in bio to update your details and never miss another Coffee & Conversations opportunity.

#CurtinGrad #alumni #graduate #networking #perth ...

Ngarinyin and Gidja woman Melanie Robinson believes studying nursing at Curtin not only changed her life - but is allowing her to change the lives of other Aboriginal people by improving their health and wellbeing.

But Mel had to overcome many obstacles to become the experienced health practitioner she is today. She had to travel over 2000kms away from her home in the remote town of Derby, to begin her studies in Perth.

"The move to Perth, being so far away from my family, friends and the community, was challenging. Having grown up in an Aboriginal community and lived around Aboriginal people all my life, it was weird to not see another Aboriginal person. I was the only Aboriginal student in my year."

Sharing her career experiences with us in a Curtin Commons interview, swipe right to read the top three things she believes Aboriginal students need to succeed at their university studies. As she explains...

"I recently did a masters in nursing research... to explore why in recent years the number of Aboriginal nursing students undertaking tertiary studies has increased, but completion rates remain low."

Click on the link in our bio for:
📚 'Curtin Commons' to read the full Q&A with Mel.
💌 'Support Moorditj Yorga Scholarship' to enable more Aboriginal women like Mel to not just enter Curtin University, but thrive here.

First photo: Mel Robinson and a work colleague outside the Derby Hospital in 1995, where she accepted a placement after graduating.

#CurtinGrad #CurtinCommons #moorditjyorgas #aboriginal #indigenous #womenempowerment #strongwomen #empoweringwomen ...

#CurtinGrad and humanitarian photographer and filmmaker Marcus Wong believes you can’t truly care about something you’ve never seen.

"My main focus is capturing the individual in a way that is intimate and personal, as if a viewer could see them and imagine having a conversation with them. Often the subjects are stuck in poverty because of circumstances they were born into, and I use the background to represent this in my photographs. By having the background out of focus, you are drawn to the subject and the potential they have as an individual to contribute to the world.

"Some photos were shot in Northern Ethiopia in the Afar region, known as one of the hottest and driest places on Earth. The Afar people are nomadic and move from place to place to take care of their livestock. They face many healthcare issues due to their remoteness and a lack of access to healthcare services.

"This photograph [third image] was shot during a project documenting women’s health and the efforts to reduce the practice of female genital mutilation. This lady was staying in a compound to teach Afar women basic literacy and healthcare skills so they could return to their nomadic group to teach their families the skills they learnt."

Read the rest of our fascinating conversation with Marcus by clicking the 'Curtin Commons' link in our bio.

📷 by @marcus_wongy.

#CurtinCommons #photographer #filmmaker #photography #film #uganda #ethiopia #nomad #remote ...

You may have received a call from one of our students these past couple weeks about the Moorditj Yorga Scholarship – here they are in action!

They are absolutely loving talking to you all and hearing why you are interested in supporting First Nations women. Swipe right to read what some of our community members and donors are saying 🤗

Learn more by clicking on the 'Support Moorditj Yorga Scholarship' link in our bio!

#moorditjyorgas #aboriginal #indigenous #womenempowerment #strongwomen #empoweringwomen ...

The School of Design and Built Environment is saying goodbye to Building 201, and hello to its new home in Building 418! 👋

Did you take any classes in Hogwarts - a.k.a the Architecture & Planning Building - a.k.a Building 201 - while you were at Curtin? Did you study interior architecture, fashion, design or any of the other wonderful creative courses taught there? ✍️ We'd love to hear from you!

Send in your photos and videos from class, or let us know if you'd like to drop off any old designs or materials, and join us in farewelling many decades of excellence (and getting lost on those crazy stairs) in Building 201! 🏫 We'll showcase your photos in an upcoming exhibition at Curtin Perth.

Stay tuned on our channels to hear more, and send us your memories now via alumni@curtin.edu.au.

First photo: former Curtin fashion students c. 1995. Robert Garvey. Curtin Information Management and Archives.
Other photos taken of Building 201 by staff this year.

@curtindbe #CurtinGrad #CurtinLife #design #architecture #fashion #curtinuniversity ...

As a geologist, Eliza Stewart's (BSc Geographic Information Science, 2018) experience in some of WA's most remote and rugged landscapes gave her the inspiration for a slightly unexpected side venture: a range of cosmetics!

While she still works as a geologist, Eliza's first product, the Pilbara Collection, demonstrates her ingenuity and the strange but wonderful ways our careers can take twisting turns from our original university studies.

“I’ve taken the Pilbara landscape, my passion for rocks and my interest in beauty, and put them all together. I want to showcase and introduce the world to the geological colours and landscapes of Western Australia, and of course its very cool rocks!

"My advice to other graduates is don't look at career change or change in direction as failure. I struggled with that concept because I come from a family that places a lot of value on playing things safe. Instead, take inspiration from your background, use the tools you have learnt and expand upon them! Never stop learning and researching. These skills have helped me to start a business and understand what it takes to strive for success."

Eliza is currently offering all Curtin graduates a 10% discount on the Pilbara Collection! Head to @geologiecosmetics and use CURTINALUMNI10 to get your hands on one now.

L-R: Eliza Stewart wearing the Pilbara Collection; Karijini landscape in the Pilbara; Eliza holding an early design she did of the Pilbara Collection; model wearing Pilbara Collection eyeshadow. All photos supplied by Eliza Stewart.

#CurtinGrad #geology #geography #WA #pilbara #karijini #cosmetics #beauty #geologie #eyeshadow ...

Valerie Ah Chee was the only Aboriginal woman in her cohort when she studied midwifery at Curtin. Now, she has returned to her university to foster a sense of belonging for other Aboriginal women by creating the artwork for our Moorditj Yorga (‘strong woman’) Scholarship.

The artwork, titled 'Yorgas Barloonginy (Women Rising)', draws on the collective strength of the Nyungar women in Valerie's own life.

The circle in the centre of the painting is the first gathering of the Elder matriarchs (holders of knowledge and learning) teaching the next generation of women about identity, connections, belonging and culture. The snake is the Wagyl, creator and protector of the waterways in Nyungar culture, which is essential for life. The women sitting around the snake are ready to start a different journey to learning.

Valerie says, “My biggest inspiration and role model is my mum, Dr Rosemary van den Berg, who was the first Nyungar woman to graduate with a PhD from Curtin. Mum’s strength, resilience and perseverance inspired me to start my own degree – and finish it.”

Swipe right to see Valerie doing just this at her graduation ceremony in 2015! She is just the type of student Curtin could have supported with the scholarship, had it been available when she enrolled.

Click the 'Curtin Commons' link in our bio to read Valerie's full story, or find out how you can support women like Val to share their knowledge and wisdom at university by clicking 'Support Moorditj Yorga Scholarship'.

Art: Valerie Ah Chee, Yorgas Barloonginy, 2021, acrylic on canvas.

#CurtinGrad #CurtinCommons #moorditjyorgas #aboriginal #indigenous #womenempowerment #strongwomen #empoweringwomen ...

We spoke to Curtin graduates living and working all over the globe about what it has been like to experience the COVID-19 pandemic where they are.

Emily Regan (BS Nursing, 2015) was working as a nurse in London and was initially told by senior officials not to be too concerned about the earliest reports of a pandemic.

Nik Hasyudeen (Bachelor of Business, 1986) was worried about his company, which helps Muslims in Malaysia with limited means make the pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, getting shut down due to travel disruptions.

For Jacinta Ebsworth (Bachelor of Commerce, 2014), living in New York meant she was at the centre of one of the worst-hit cities in 2020.

Read the full story by clicking the 'Curtin Commons' link in our bio.

First image: Nik Hasyudeen.
Second image: Jacinta Ebsworth.
Third image: National Health Service (NHS) workers wave from windows of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as crowds cheer them on, 2020. Sourced from Shutterstock.

#CurtinCommons #CurtinGrad #pandemic #covid #covid19 ...

Curtin’s student rag has changed names many times since its inception over half a century ago in 1969. From Aspect, to Grok, to PaperWAIT, to the chic French spin L’Grok, to the Nyungar word Aliwa (meaning ‘look out’) and back to Grok again, the publication has been a forum for students to express their views on art, politics, culture and life for as long as Curtin has been in existence.

1972 Sports Editor Garry Feeney said the paper’s staff was a group separate from everyone else.

“We were the people who were in everything. We did the parties, the drugs, the protests and demos, student politics, the student newspaper and the dramatic society. There was a lot of crossover. It was heady and exciting because you really felt like you were a part of what was happening in the world. It was an illusion. This was Perth — the second most isolated city in the world. Nobody gave a damn what we did or said, but for a while there it felt like they did.”

Many students who wrote for @grokmagazine have gone on to careers as journalists, storytellers and artists - one notable contributor being award-winning author Tim Winton (BA English, 1980)!

Read the full article and find out where our Grokian grads are now by clicking 'Curtin Commons' from the link in our bio.

#CurtinCommons #CurtinGrad #Grok #journalism #CurtinLife ...

The Curtin library before... and after!

Swipe right to check out these stunning artist impressions of what the refurbished Curtin library could look like once construction has finished ✨

The TL Robertson Library was built in 1972 and is being revamped to modernise its facilities and provide new services. While the iconic brutalist architecture you all know so well will be preserved, the building will be transformed into an informal learning and research hub, with over 2000sqm of additional floor space!

What are your favourite memories of the library?

#CurtinCommunity #CurtinLife #library #TLRobertsonLibrary @curtinuniversitylibrary ...