Santosh Baral

Author: santoshb7

  • National Sorry Day with Dandjoo Darbalung

    The 26 May is National Sorry Day, a day to remember and reflect on the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were part of The Stolen Generations. Sorry Day reminds us that historical injustice is still an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities and peoples. On this day we acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation Survivors and their families and their families and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation.

    The Dandjoo Darbalung program at St Catherine’s College does extensive work in this space by supporting Indigenous students, providing mentorship for school-aged children and facilitating cultural learning experiences for companies, universities and the wider community.

    “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, healing is a holistic process, which addresses mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs and involves connections to culture, family and land.

    Healing works best when solutions are culturally strong, developed and driven at the local level, and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”- The Healing Foundation To learn more about the award-winning work our Dandjoo Darbalung program does, check out our website. To learn more about National Sorry Day, head to healingfoundation.org.

  • Preparing Young People for the Future of Business

    Bloom’s Orbit Accelerator Program is a one-year program that provides five small business founders with the tools to accelerate their business.

    Members of our Bloom Community with CEO, Fiona Crowe, Minister for Innovation, Don Punch, and Director of Innovation, Andrew Stead
    Members of our Bloom Community with CEO, Fiona Crowe, Minister for Innovation, Don Punch, and Director of Innovation, Andrew Stead

    The program consists of ten workshops facilitated by industry professionals, paired with one-on-one coaching from Program Director, Jeroen van Dalen. By the end of the program, these young entrepreneurs will be better prepared for the future of their business and see long-term growth.

    In late 2021, Bloom was one of eight applicants that was successful in applying for a Western Australian Government X-Tend Grant for 2022 and 2023. This gives Bloom the sustainability to run this course for at least two years, and build out the success of these young founders.

    A first of its kind program like Orbit increases the innovation atmosphere already existing inside St Catherine’s College. Residents have the chance to work in the co-working space besides entrepreneurs with established businesses and learn about innovation for the individuals who live and breathe it!” -Bloom’s Director of Innovation, Andrew Stead.

    The first five participants of the Orbit Accelerator Program are learning from industry professionals, who are experts in their business field. The participants are Alex Montinari, Fanny Westlund, Imogen Blow, James Audcent and Isabelle Ng. Each participant currently owns a business and we are excited to see where the Orbit Accelerator Program takes them!

  • Family Ties at St Catherine’s College

    St Catherine’s has been home to many generations of incredible young people, which makes it so special when the children of our alumni come to the College for their own university experience. Alumna Tan Hui Ping recently revisited St Catherine’s as her daughter Aimee moved in to our UWA campus earlier this year. We sat down with Tan Hui to ask her a few questions.

    L-R: Aimee Chan and Tan-Hui Ping on Move-In Day 2022
    L-R: Aimee Chan and Tan-Hui Ping on Move-In Day 2022

    Where did you live before coming to St Catherine’s College?

    I was living with a family friend while I completed Year 12 in Perth before coming to St Catherine’s College. Prior to that I was living and studying in Singapore.

    What is your favourite memory from living at St Catherine’s?

    It’s tough to choose, as I have so many. One of my favourites is the supper cookout at Upper Whitefield. The joy, laughter and tears we shared of our experiences deepened our friendships. The life experiences we learn from each other have also helped me deal with the challenges that came my way when I entered the workforce after graduation.

    I also fondly remember Formal Dinner nights! The guest speakers were always so thoughtfully selected and inspiring. One defining takeaway that I carry to this day is the importance of embracing not only diversity, but, more importantly, inclusion. Especially respecting people who are different as well as the indigenous community. This exposure in my early adulthood gave me a head start when I entered the workforce, especially when I was interviewing for job opportunities. The simple mindfulness of embracing and accepting people who are different and diverse opened up many opportunities for myself in the workforce when I returned to Singapore.

    How has St Catherine’s remained a part of your life?

    Words can’t express how happy and grateful I was when my daughter Aimee was accepted into St Catherine’s this year. The experiences now may be different, but the College culture has not changed. I know that Aimee will find her own experiences living at St Cat’s and those experiences will help her excel in life. I have also kept in constant contact with a fellow St Catherine’s sister. She is now living in Los Angeles. Whenever we catch up in person (pre-Covid) or over WhatsApp exchanges ever since the pandemic, we still laugh over the silly things that we did. Memories like PJ parties in each other rooms or the common area, and getting told off by our floor tutor for being too loud.

  • Six Noongar Seasons with Dandjoo Darbalung

    St Catherine’s College Indigenous access program Dandjoo Darbalung has spent several years putting together a series of large canvas artworks that represent the six Noongar seasons. These pieces are the work of our Indigenous residents, with contributions from the wider St Catherine’s community and schools that have participated in the Dandjoo Darbalung outreach program.

  • 50 Years On – St Catherine’s Memories

    From the outside, St Catherine’s College looks quite different now. With the additions of our new buildings in 2014 and 2019, our College has grown significantly. However, some things at St Catherine’s are timeless, like catching up with friends in your room, getting dressed up for a special event, or having fun. These photos were taken in 1972, and were kindly provided to us by Ann Osborne.

  • Getting Started in Software Development

    Josh Cheng lived at St Catherine’s from 2019 to 2021 and studied a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Mathematics and Statistics and Computer Science. He recently joined Rio Tinto as part of their graduate program.

    What is your current role at Rio Tinto?

    I am a Junior Software Developer and currently learning to create applications and the software development process. In addition, I get to work on pieces of software that they currently use on-site, which is such an amazing experience. Getting the opportunity to make a difference to production software and improving the quality of life of people on site is so valuable.

    What has your experience been like so far?

    I’m three weeks into the program at the moment. I’ve really enjoyed the culture of the company and how friendly everyone is since starting in early March. I’m most excited to move to Brisbane to commence working with my team there. Being so supported in the relocation process has been amazing, and I’m stoked to see what Brisbane has to offer.

    What advice do you have for anyone pursuing a graduate position?

    My advice would be to create a cover letter and do your research! There’s nothing worse than getting a question in an interview about the company values and not knowing what they are. In addition, UWA has a tool called BigInterview, which is amazing for interview training and helping people get more confident, which I would highly recommend. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an interview, or ultimately don’t get the position, just keep producing quality applications, and you’ll get in eventually!

  • Tackling Climate Change with Tasty Food

    Originally from Singapore, Ming Fung Chua lived at St Catherine’s from 2015 to 2018. While at College, she completed a Master of Agricultural Science studying soil and plant nutrition and held various leadership roles, such as Residential Advisor and Student Support Coordinator. She currently works for Wide Open Agriculture (WOA), Australia’s leading regenerative agriculture company. Currently, our food system accounts for 34% of the world’s carbon emissions, meaning the agriculture industry has huge potential to address climate change.

    What is your current role at Wide Open Agriculture?

    I am a Digital Project Coordinator, meaning I manage the digital channels for our regenerative food and agriculture brand Dirty Clean Food. In my role, I connect customers to our farmers and suppliers to help them understand and show them where food comes from and how it is grown. In my work I am responsible for sourcing and purchasing delicious, regenerative, ethical and sustainable products that are both good for the planet and people. I am passionate about food transparency and how we can best represent paddock to plate in a way that empowers our customer to be conscious consumers.

    Why is regenerative agriculture something we should know about?

    Regenerative agriculture is one step beyond sustainable farming. Being sustainable is about maintaining the current state we are in while regenerative is more about improving farming practices and helping to regenerate the land. Regenerative farming takes into account the entire ecosystem – biodiversity at the soil microbial level, not just the flora and fauna that exists and thrives in the same environment, improving your water cycles, rotational grazing and capturing carbon. It’s like going back to what nature intended. It’s about making our environment more resilient to climate change and ensuring food security for our future generations to come. More people should learn about this as it is the complete opposite of conventional agriculture. When you eat or purchase from a regenerative farmer, you are supporting the environment and consuming a product from an extremely passionate farmer who cares about their land.

    At Dirty Clean Food, we pay a premium to those farmers to encourage them to continue to practice regenerative farming. We call it “for purpose, for profit”. Without a monetary incentive, there just isn’t enough motivation to get more people onto it. It’s not a new idea, and it’s been practiced for a very long time. We work with amazing farmers, such as Blythe from Runnymede Farm, and the entire team at WOA are the most passionate people you will ever meet.

    What are some of your current professional goals?

    One of my current goals is to continue to expand my network and support other young women in the agriculture space. I’m also looking to learn as much as possible about the alternative plant protein space.

  • Mother’s Day 2022

    To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked residents across our UWA and Curtin campuses how their mothers have helped shape them.

    What makes your mum special to you?

    “What makes my mum special to me is her utter resilience. She is such a giving and kind person, and she is my rock and the rock for all the people around her – and I love that so much about her.” – Sharissa

    “My mum is my best friend – we’re so similar and enjoy the same sense of humour. We’re always laughing when we get together.” – Molly

    “Her comforting presence. Even when I’m at College, I call or FaceTime her every day. And if I’m ever stressed, she always comforts me and knows how to make me feel better – always.” – Jess

    “My mum’s unconditional support of everything I do makes her special to me. The best example I can think of is in high school. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and I had no idea for quite a while – I was a bit lost. In the end, I decided to do medicine. As soon as I said it, my mum said that I would be a great doctor and make a genuine difference, which meant a lot to me. It helped me push through those hard years of getting into the course.

    Even though she supports me, she will also pull me in line when I need it, which I respect. It’s great to have someone there checking in.” – Tom

    What is something your proud of about your mum?

    “I’m so proud that she went back to university later in life and got her degree. I couldn’t be prouder of her.” – Sharissa

    “I’m very proud of how courageous she is. She steps out of her comfort zone and shows my siblings and me what it takes to be a woman in this day and age. She is just incredible and brave.” – Molly

    “My mum is extremely selfless. Even if she is having a bad day, she will put us kids in front of everything and has full focus on making us feel better.” – Jess

    “I’m proud of all my mum has been through and how she has come to where she is today. My parents bought a farm, which was my dad’s dream. It was a big thing for her to just pack up and leave to go to the country, but she was extremely supportive of my dad’s dream. However, there were years where they had a huge mortgage, and a lot of work was needed on the farm. And when my dad was working FIFO, my mum had to look after my sister and me, as well as run the farm. I know that might not sound that big of a deal, but when you have one person running a five hundred acres property with lots of livestock, it’s a big deal!” – Tom

    What is something you’re grateful for about your mum?

    “Literally everything. My mum is a superhero, and she does everything for me. She is always there for me, and I love everything she does. I’m so grateful for her.” – Sharissa

    “When I’m sad or overwhelmed, she doesn’t have to say anything. She opens her arms and gives me a big hug. Whenever I ask her for advice, she just says, “Molly, you don’t need to do anything. We will figure it out together”.” – Molly

    “Everything! When my mum is busy at work, and I call, she will always answer – which I’m grateful for. I see her as my best friend, and she always knows how to make me feel better.” – Jess

    “Anyone who meets my mum will soon realise she is an incredibly generous and empathetic person. For example, she took in my best mate when he was asked to leave school and helped him with a second start. But that’s just one example – there are so many. I can also call her at any time, and we can just talk for hours.” – Tom

  • Resident Profile – Carina 

    Carina has been an international resident at the College since 2020 and is in her third year of a Marine Science and Zoology undergraduate degree at The University of Western Australia. Last year, Carina was a College RA and this year, she is one of our Co-Presidents. 

    Her favourite place to study and have a coffee is Boubar on Hampden Road because “they have the best Chai Lattes and the nicest baristas,” she said. Daisies Cottesloe and North Street Store are Carina’s other favourite places to catch up with friends because they are close to the beach. 

    Carina’s favourite memory at St Cat’s is when her Wing took a trip down south to Augusta. “We had a social media detox, painted, played games, went to the beach and learnt aerial silk acrobatics,” she said.

    She applied to become Co-President because she has felt welcomed, loved and supported by the St Cat’s community.

    “Living away from home has been challenging for me; however, I couldn’t have asked for a better home away from home.”

    Carina’s advice to incoming freshers is “to participate in as many opportunities as possible; the people you meet here will be your friends for life!”

  • Resident Profile: Bradley Carter

    Bradley is a second-year resident at St Catherine’s and is in his second year of Bachelor of Commerce at The University of Western Australia. Last year, Bradley was the fresher representative for St Catherine’s in the Residential Students’ Department – RSD, UWA Student Guild Committee, and this year he is our Upper Arney RA.

    His favourite place to study is in the breakout rooms around College because they are a quiet and motivating place to get work done. His favourite coffee place is Boubar on Hampden Road because it’s a fun place to meet up with a friend. Plus, St Catherine’s residents get a 10% discount. 

    He applied to become an RA to ‘return the favour’ to the RAs who had such a positive impact on his transition to College and to support incoming residents as they undertake the next chapter of their lives.

    Bradley’s advice to incoming freshers is to take every opportunity you come across – you have nothing to lose! Moving to College is daunting, but the College staff and the RA team are here to support you and make the transition successful!