Are you a budding entrepreneur ready to unleash your ideas? Do you want to make a real difference to society and tackle real-world global issues? Or maybe you’re the creator of the world’s next technology advancement?
Meet four inspiring UWA graduates who have achieved great success and created global career opportunities while studying at UWA.
Meet Jasmin – A young entrepreneur on a mission to inspire young people into entrepreneurship
Jasmin co-founded startup company Cribber, which digitises worksite communication and partners with global companies including Woodside, Maersk and Subsea 7. She also teaches a UWA practical entrepreneurship at UWA in which students get credit for creating their own startup.
Jasmin is the perfect example of a well-rounded graduate. She studied a degree in finance at UWA and continued with a master's at Copenhagen Business School. Not only has she received a degree from WA’s highest globally ranked and recognised university, Jasmin's also a graduate of Australia’s leading accelerator program muru-D (Telstra) and CSIRO, plus the Founder Institute, an accelerator program based in Silicon Valley.
After graduating, Jasmin kicked off her career in risk consulting at PwC, where she helped advise some of the largest resource companies in the world. Her broad range of studies and skill set inspired her to transition her career from consulting to technology.
Here's her advice to students:
“Be open to new experiences and say yes to opportunities and challenges on the way, even if you don’t know where they’ll lead. It’s rare that people will find their dream job when they graduate so concentrate on gaining new skills, learning from great people and enjoying the journey.”
Meet Aleesha – A human rights advocate on a mission to fight poverty globally by supporting artists locally.
Aleesha is Founder and CEO of Artists Against Poverty (previously LOVE Foundation Australia). They fight poverty by providing microfinance loans to mothers in South East Asia to start their own small businesses, generating a regular income to support their families.
“We want to be providing a hand-up not a hand-out to the communities we work with. We raise funds by holding events which celebrate the talent of local artists by providing a platform for them to showcase their work. We use arts as a vehicle as it brings people together and ignites conversations about global issues, like poverty, in a non-confrontational environment.”
Aleesha studied a Bachelor of Arts from UWA, majoring in Political Science & International Relations and French. She knew employers were looking for more than just a degree and wanted to help people living in extreme poverty, which is why she started this in her first year of university.
Her advice to other students is:
“Don’t be afraid to say yes to new exciting opportunities. Yes is how you will get your first job. Yes is how you will meet new friends. Even if it is a bit outside your comfort zone, saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new and make a difference in your life, and likely in others too.
“I am so glad I said ‘yes’ five years ago to starting my own not for profit – even if it was a bit crazy at the time. I am so grateful for my UWA experience, it provided and continues to provide me with a strong network for both team members, mentors and close friends.”
Aleesha is currently a Major Gifts Officer at The University of Sydney.
Meet Mark – Change maker, engineer and social entrepreneur.
Mark Shelton is a young engineer embarking on an international career. Awarded a prestigious John Monash Scholarship, he has been recognised as an outstanding Australian with leadership potential.
While at UWA, Mark studied a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) in Computer Science and Psychology. Now Mark is studying a Master of Science in Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University, learning about technology innovation and entrepreneurship in the heart of the Silicon Valley.
When I arrived at UWA, I planned on becoming a doctor. My UWA degree gave me the opportunity to explore different disciplines and careers and find what I'm truly passionate about – and following that passion has now led me to the other side of the world!
In 2013, Mark co-founded Bloom, a non-profit organisation that provides a dedicated space for young, innovative West Australians to create, collaborate and network. Bloom encourages students to start their own ventures and plays a key role in Western Australia’s rapidly growing startup scene.
Meet Zoë – An empowering young woman determined to build a career in the development sector, working on sustainable development initiatives for disaster-affected communities.
Zoë is passionate about the issue of extreme poverty and plans to use her studies to make a contribution to global issues, helping to enforce greater community-level representation in program decision-making.
Extreme poverty is such a complex problem, with many underlying factors contributing to and exacerbating the issue. Unfortunately, often well-meaning solutions are created with little input from the affected community. This creates a multitude of problems and risks disempowering local community members.
Zoë completed a Bachelor of Science in Population Health and Political Science and International Relations. She has travelled in Asia under the New Colombo Plan scholarship as the 2018 Hong Kong Fellow. Through her scholarship, she was able to study and intern in Hong Kong and intern with a peace-building organisation in Nepal. Her travels and studies showcase the breadth of learning and global opportunities available to students while studying at UWA.
These are four of the many talented graduates who have built the foundations of their career by studying at UWA. And just like them, you can be a UWA next generation thought leader.
To learn more about studying at WA’s highest-ranked university visit the UWA Course Model page.
