Tag: St Cat’s events

Every year all the Colleges along College Row take part in an epic Battle of the Bands competition, putting forward their most talented musicians to compete but most importantly, put on a great show at the UWA Tavern for everyone to enjoy.

Every college performed exceptionally, keeping us grooving all night long. However, there is nothing quite like cheering on your own college as they belt out absolute bangers, from Queen to Tame Impala, with a bit of Ricky Martin sprinkled in, our St Catherine’s Band knocked our socks off.

Our talented band members worked so hard in rehearsals for weeks in the lead up to the competition. When the time came for their set, the audience was flooded with blue St Cat’s polos (a few of which were taken off in the heat of the moment) and everyone sang their heart out!

Congratulations to our band members for putting on such a great show, and we’re very grateful to the Residential Students Department at UWA for putting on yet another amazing event.

We are already looking forward to next years competition!

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For the last few months, health care workers have been at the forefront of a global pandemic, unlike anything most people alive today have ever experienced. As we have stayed glued to the news awaiting updates and hoping for ease in restrictions, nurses have been working tirelessly to provide care and comfort to people in what can sometimes be the most frightening moment of their lives. The contribution nurses make to our community cannot be understated.

International Nurses Day is observed every year on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. To celebrate, we’re featuring two of our residents, Lara Scurria and Shauna Aitken, who are studying nursing.

Shauna is from Perth and is in her first year of studying nursing at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle.

“I have always been interested in the Health Science sector, and nursing seemed like the perfect fit for me. The hands-on aspect appeals to me, and I am interested in working in intensive care and emergency units.

I think nurses have been pivotal in this ongoing crisis. A nurse’s role during these times spans further than just treatment, with education being critical for our public health.

Hand hygiene is the first thing you learn in the course and has become a more common practice for the general population. The safety of the patient and the surrounding community lies in the nurse’s hands. So the spread of disease in a hospital setting at least is reliant on the nurses’ hygiene routine.”

Lara is also in her first year of studying nursing at Notre Dame, and she is currently working as an assistant in nursing at an aged care facility.

“My mum and grandma are nurses so they would always tell me stories from the hospitals and it intrigued me from a young age. Then I did work experience in year 10 in the maternity and paediatric wards at Bunbury Hospital and loved it, which confirmed that nursing is what I wanted to do. I plan on doing a post-grad in midwifery, as my end goal is to become a midwife.”

Another of our residents Harry Bawa is also currently working as an assistant in nursing. We sat down with him for a video interview, which you can check out here.

We’d also like to give a shout-out to Mikaylah Pigram and all our other residents studying nursing!

St Catherine’s College would like to thank all the nurses that have been working so hard to keep us safe and healthy. We are very fortunate to have many wonderful residents and alumni that aspire to help others and serve their communities in a role as crucial as nursing.

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As the world celebrates #ThankATeacherDay, St Catherine’s would like to put a spotlight on our residents who are studying to become teachers. 

We spoke with one of RAs, Tilly Johnston about what made her pursue teaching, as well as her amazing work with Teach Learn Grow. 

“I’ve always known that I want to work with young people particularly after being a mentor for a long time.  I want to inspire children to find the things that light them up and to pursue them with passion. Learning should be a fun, explorative and relevant experience and I hope I can give children the opportunity to explore this.”

“Teaching has a lot of work behind the scenes, planning and marking can be very exhausting and keep you up to all hours. It is also a constant learning process of what works and what doesn’t, this is always changing depending on the students.”

“Seeing the children, I’ve taught/mentored to achieve amazing things, is the most rewarding thing. It just gives you this rush and fills you with so much pride. It’s indescribable how rewarding it can be. Some of my most special memories are when a child/teenager/adult comes up to you years after you taught or mentored them to say thank you.”

“For a long time, I’ve wanted to work rural or remote, I’m in love with the bush but mostly the people and kids in these communities. I want to provide meaningful and relevant education and inspire them to believe in achieving the impossible. I’m currently Education Manager with the non-for-profit organisation Teach Learn Grow which sends out tutors and mentors to remote communities, it’s an amazing program that aims to engage and inspire children in schools.”

Our College community would also like to give a special shout out to some of our other residents studying teaching, like Albert Dean, Emily Simpson and more. 

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As a tertiary residential college of 440 students, St Cat’s has had an extraordinary year! As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look back the past year:

• Completed and opened a $12.8 million of state-of-the-art new development for our Dandjoo Dabarlung Indigenous Access Program.

• Won the bid to open a St Catherine’s College at Curtin University in 2022, making us the only residential College to have two colleges on two campuses at two universities.

• One of the successful recipients of the X-TEND WA Program.

• Won the overall Inter-College Sports Competition, the Women’s Cup, The Spirit Cup, the Fitness Challenge Cup, and the Cultural Cup (Congrats to all our residents! 👏).

• Hosted a Formal Hall every Monday evening for our residents (we invite guest speakers to share knowledge, insights, and trends with our residents).

• Supported our residents’ academic careers by hosting Academic SOS drop-in sessions, study hall and one-on-one support meetings with residents.

• Hosted a Valedictory Dinner at the end of each semester, which provided a fitting send-off for those completing their time at the College – with live entertainment, fire throwers, a lolly bar, and well-earned fireworks!

• Hosted a Commencement Dinner at the start of each semester to welcome our new and returning residents.

• Hosted the annual Sports Dinner to celebrate our athletes who won the overall Inter-College Sports Competition.

• Hosted the annual Scholars’ Dinner to celebrate our highest achieving residents to mingle with industry (special guest included, award-winning Australian Journalist, Peter Greste)

• Hosted the Annual Ball (our favourite event of the year! This year’s theme was Atlantis and it certainly did not disappoint. The residents danced the night away at Fraser’s Restaurant in Kings Park).

• Hosted Boardroom Lunches, innovation events and Scientists in Residence events to expose our residents to relevant industry before they graduate.

• Hosted several Faculty Dinners so our residents can have dinner with industry professionals and College alumni.

• Organised the yearly tradition, Secret Friend’s Week (the week represents the spirit of care and community that St Cat’s fosters and is a really fun way to get to know other residents).

• Hosted Multicultural Week to celebrate the kaleidoscope of cultures present at St Cat’s.

• Supported Not-For-Profit campaigns such as Wings for Life, the Blood Drive, Do It In A Dress, Relay for Life, the Blue Tree Project, HBF Fun Run, Clean Up Australia Day, World’s Greatest Shave, Earth Hour and Food Drive for Refugees to name a few!

• Hosted several accommodation wing events so residents can get to know their neighbours (such as Bowling and Bites Proposal week, Survivor and Assassins, Wing Fire Pits, Wing Combat and The Hunger Games – not as scary as it sounds 🤣)

• Organised a variety of gatherings and outings during Winter Break for residents who remained at the College.

• Provided de-stressor activities during exam week to mitigate stress, which included suppers, a jumping castle, a petting zoo, karaoke, and a free study pack.

• Weekly English Classes – to cater for our residents where English is their second language.

• Hosted a range of arts and cultural workshops such as dance, arts and crafts, debating and Battle of the Bands.

• Hosted a range of social sports such as hiking, yoga, tennis, volleyball, netball, soccer and more!

• As part of our sustainability impact, we set up our first Honey Bee Project, use chemical-free soil and started a new vegetable patch! We care deeply about the environment and the entire College community strives to be resource-efficient, operationally cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

• Sunset sessions!

• and… we added three new puppies to the College pooch, community; Louis, Kaya, and Tidda!

Who we are

Just opposite UWA, St Catherine’s is a residential college, offering accommodation for university and TAFE students.

You don’t need to go over east to get a university experience – we’re renowned for unforgettable experiences, events, academic and career mentoring, academic excellence, community service, networking and non-stop inspiration

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