Thank You

Whether she is conducting research or volunteering in the community, Toto Olita has remained truthful to her life aspiration to use her skills, experience and passion to improve the welfare of others.

Born in a small country town that borders Kenya and Uganda, Olita credits her grandmother for emphasizing the importance of higher education and the value educated women can have in a community.

‘My Tata Teresa placed the greatest value on education, which resulted in most of her children making a significant contribution to Kenya and the world. Even though she did not receive a formal education, she would advise us to do well at school and to become good citizens.’

As a global student and citizen, Olita started her tertiary journey at Dedan Kimathi University in Kenya, obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science. It is here where her passion for supporting her community blossomed into a dream of finding sustainable solutions for large global issues.

‘Through my work, I am committed to carrying on my Tata’s legacy and assisting the marginalized members of our community. In the world, I believe we are all connected, and the challenges we face demand collective action.’

In 2014, Olita was awarded a merit-based scholarship at Curtin to undertake her Masters, where she deepened her educational exploration of how she could be part of solving one of the most significant global issues, homelessness. Her thesis delved into the rise of housing prices and the impact on the homelessness crisis in WA.

‘As a researcher, I work collaboratively with other stakeholders and use data analytics to tackle real-life problems. I am confident that inquiry, discovery and re-evaluation of existing and new concepts will contribute to an existing body of knowledge and produce innovative ideas to bring about a better tomorrow.’

After conducting her thesis research, Olita continued to enmesh herself within her new community of WA, identifying where she could help advocate for inclusion, fairness, community empowerment, and sustainable development. Having attributed her time in university to helping transform her perspective on life, Olita started to support scholarship funds to enable future students to have the same educational opportunity that she was afforded at Curtin.

‘As I read the student’s stories, I realized that we are all connected regardless of our backgrounds. Their stories give me hope to face life knowing that whatever contribution we make, however little, inspires others to join in and be part of the greater good. This inspiration, coupled with the values of John Curtin of leadership, vision and community service, encouraged me to be part of the story. Their faith, courage, commitment, joy, struggle, pain and loss, among other aspects, have challenged me to share my story through the way I live and how I treat everyone I meet.’

Over the past six years, Olita has supported scholarships dedicated to ensuring students are afforded the same opportunity to expand their impact on the community by increasing their education as she was.

‘In my encounter with people from different generations, races, beliefs and cultures, I realized that there are many lessons to learn from every person and event in our lives. Once we take time and listen to each other, we gain the courage to face life bravely and undeterred, knowing that we can offer something to this world. ‘

While she continues her work at Curtin’s Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Olita and her team are exploring innovative ideas that could help another global issue, food security, via crop health technology, supported by the Curtin Ignition Program. Outside work, she continues to follow in her family’s strong footsteps of service by volunteering with the Emmanuel Centre for people living with disabilities and offering wellness workshops and mental health first aid support at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre and Warnbro High School.

When asked what encourages the belief that tomorrow can be better, Olita shared:

‘I believe we all have significance in this beautiful world. We are blessed with unique gifts and talents. Expressing our gifts and talents contributes to a cause greater than us. The purpose of our lives is something magnificent that we have to discover and live by. For me, it is all about serving humanity.’

Thanks to his memorable and practical student experience at Curtin’s WA School of Mines (WASM), Neometals Managing Director and CEO, Christopher Reed, is committed to supporting WA’s future engineering and mining leaders.

With a strong appreciation and respect for Country and the mining and resources sector, Chris is passionate about positive student experience and cultivating a culture where practical experience wins hands down.

Living and breathing the industry in Kalgoorlie not only gave Chris his strong foundations, but it also proved vital in cementing his interest in mining.
“I will never forget my WASM experience. WASM gave me a much more holistic understanding of running a mining company,’’ he said.

“Thanks to my education I have a strong appreciation for having people from industry teach students, shape curriculum and give practical on-site experiences.
“Evidence of this wonderful experience is the fact I am still in regular contact with and have done business with many in my cohort.”

As one of those brilliant minds stepping through the WASM doors more than 20 years ago, Chris has a unique understanding of mineral economics and the world around him.

Committed to ensuring a new generation have the same opportunities to break into the industry, Chris and the Neometals team have taken to supporting future students through scholarships.

The Peter Collins Scholarship, for third year Bachelor of Science students in Applied Geology, honours his former and much-loved Curtin lecturer Dr Peter Collins, who was pivotal in inspiring Chris to help others entering the industry.

Peter Collins Scholarship recipient Cameron Hannigan said the scholarship has helped him pursue his career goals and afforded him the opportunity to study away from home.

“I’m now enjoying life in Kalgoorlie very much. I am involved with the Railways Football Club and have also attended most of the industry nights that companies have put on throughout the semester.”

Cameron had an interest in planets and the Earth from a young age, but it wasn’t until Year 12 that he learned about geologists in his Earth and Environmental Science course, illuminated a career opportunity that linked up to his interests.

“It was here that I discovered my love for geology, which led me to study Applied Geology at Curtin, and then Mining Geology at WASM.

“The thought of discovering things no one has ever seen before excites me and after I graduate, I wish to pursue a career in mining geology and do a graduate program with a mining company to gain valuable experience at different mine sites,’’ he said.

Beyond the world of science and engineering, and through his time working in various communities in the resources sector, Chris was motivated to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women through Curtin’s Moorditj Yorga Scholarship.

Meaning ‘strong woman’ in the Nyungar language of WA’s Southwest, Moorditj Yorga are seen as the bedrock of their families and communities; however, many mature-aged women have considered the promise of higher education to be beyond their reach.

Through the MYS Program, and thanks to donors like Chris and Neometals, Moorditj women have an opportunity to overcome social and economic inequity by attaining a university degree at Curtin.

Introduced to the program by former Neometals board member and founder of MYS Dr Vanessa Guthrie, Chris said supporting the program was a no-brainer.

“Being able to help mature women invest in themselves and study at university was an easy decision,” he said.

In an effort to share the story behind the Moorditj Yorga program with his team and to show appreciation to all of the strong women he works with, Chris recently gifted his female colleagues with the MYS scarf, which features fellow Curtin Alumni, Valerie Ah Chee’s artwork Yorgas Barloonginy “Women Rising’. The scarf is a visual representation of Aboriginal culture and the transfer and continuity of knowledge and wisdom between generations.

It is the concept of transferring and continuity of knowledge that keeps Chris excited to continue supporting the future bright minds that will shape their communities, help solve industry issues, and in future pay it forward once they leave the classroom.