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Curtin Commons

Bold. Original. Inspiring

“Welcome to Curtin Commons, an online storytelling space for Curtin alumni, staff, students and friends. Featuring a series of thought-provoking articles intended to inspire and enlighten, Commons celebrates the many amazing contributions of our Curtin community and how they are striving to create a brighter future for us all.”

– Carmelle Wilkinson, Editor-in-Chief

Image: Creative Spotlight features a snapshot of Curtin graduate Millie Murfit’s favourite photos she has taken of rural Western Australia, particularly capturing the essence of the isolated places often forgotten amongst WA’s buzzing urban city landscapes.

Latest stories

Features

Sky’s the limit for Curtin journalism graduate

24 July. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Instead of picking up a hairbrush and following in the footsteps of her hairdresser Mum, Sky News reporter Danica De Giorgio found herself picking up a microphone. Her passion for sharing people’s stories has seen the Curtin journalism alumna cover the nation’s most significant breaking news and natural disasters.

Elissa Colimilay

Climate leader helps organisations grow their global impact

26 June. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Curtin Commerce graduate Elissa Glorie loves bringing the worlds of business and impact together. The social innovator and founder of ethical underwear company Moja shares what motivates her to work in the climate space, her greatest fears for our planet and how we can make the world a better place with better consumer decisions.

Leading sustainability communicator mentors next generation on climate challenges

23 June. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Curtin’s Dean of Sustainable Futures Professor Josh Byrne is committed to showcasing how sustainability can be progressed through quality education, research, industry projects and stakeholder collaborations. Through the university’s new Planet Positive program, Josh is mentoring our next generation of climate heroes.

Curtin graduate Sandy Chong

Climate crusader advocates global change

20 June. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Armed with a passion for education and dreams of equality, Curtin Commerce graduate Dr Sandy Chong, is making meaningful impact as a climate crusader and lead strategist. Through her many business and philanthropic ventures, Sandy is a formidable force, campaigning for change and paving the way for a better tomorrow.

Curtin Occupational Therapist leads billion-dollar company to extraordinary heights

31 May. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

From WA country girl to owner of a billion-dollar company, Perth entrepreneur Megan Wynne’s passion and grit in the employment services, health disability, and vocational rehabilitation space is nothing short of extraordinary. The Curtin Occupational Therapist graduate attributes her success and strong leadership to attracting a talented team motivated and driven to help others.

Curtin jump starts student placement and nursing careers with new fund

26 May. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

With the world currently facing a rising nursing shortage, Curtin are investing in the future of our nurses to ensure they receive the best possible start to their career. The University’s newly established fund Jump Start Nursing will assist nursing students like Shai’a Bulich and Muhammad Hasnain Latif with out-of-pocket costs associated with their first-year placement.

Unwavering strength, resilience, and grit shines in road to recovery

2 May. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Two years ago, Curtin mechanical engineer Ted Lee was run over by a semi-trailer while riding his motorcycle along a busy highway. Despite 275 days in hospital, 30 surgeries, 13 days in an induced coma and a two percent chance of survival he has defied the odds, returning to campus last year to complete his final semester.

World-renowned wildlife campaigner on quest to protect orangutans from extinction

13 April. By Carmelle Wilkinson.

Over the past 30 years the Founder of The Orangutan Project and Curtin Applied Science graduate, Leif Cocks has championed to improve the welfare of orangutans in captivity, reintroduce them into the wild and protect the rainforests they call home.

The road to self-acceptance for rainbow Catholics

4 April. By Raquel De Brito.

Long before Curtin Marketing and Asian Studies graduate Angela Han became an inspirational advocate for queer Christians, she was battling her own demons as she tried to reconcile her faith and sexuality. Her group, Acceptance Perth, proves the two can mesh harmoniously while providing a safe space for Christian and Catholic members of the LGBTIQ community.

Creative Spotlight

For Creative Spotlight, Western Australian photographer and ceramic artist Millie Murfit shares her most favourite photos of all time. Growing up in the Wheatbelt town of Merredin, Millie says she is passionate about intimately exploring landscapes that people often stop at on the way to something bigger and better. Through her photographs, Millie hopes viewers gain a renewed sense of appreciation for the mundane and those places we might not think twice about.

“Life moves fast, but there’s a lot of beauty and peace in the quiet scenes,” Millie says.

Carousel photos: Holden Graveyard (July 2022), Into the Wild (Merredin 2022), Canola’s Come Knocking (Goomalling 2022), Closed for Business (Mukinbudin 2022) & Portrait photos: $4.99 Pies (Northam 2022), Liv in the Lake (Lake Lescheneaultia 2019) and Highway God (Dowerin 2020).

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Our mission

‘The Branching Future’ – a digitally-drawn illustration by Curtin student Nina Dakin for Curtin Commons.

A ‘commons’ is a space that is shared by and benefits a community.

Our commons is a cultural and virtual one, reflecting the ideas and experiences shared by a proud and distinct Curtin community living in Western Australia and around the world. We hope that this space will inspire us to stay connected in ways that are beneficial to our lives, families and communities.

Acknowledgement of Country

Curtin University acknowledges all First Nations of this place we call Australia and recognises the many nations who have looked after Country for more than 60,000 years.  
We are honoured and grateful for the privilege to maintain campuses operating in Boorloo (Perth) and Karlkurla (Kalgoorlie) in Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present as Custodians and Owners of these lands. We recognise their deep knowledge and their cultural, spiritual and educational practices, and aspire to learn and teach in partnership with them. Curtin also acknowledges First Nations peoples connected with our global campuses. We are committed to working in partnership with all Custodians and Owners to strengthen and embed First Nations’ voices and perspectives in our decision-making, now and into the future.”