Humanities students…we hear you. Sometimes there aren’t a lot of reasons for you to attend careers fairs. Well not this time! We have organised a Networking Zone for Humanities students at the Work Ready Careers Fair, featuring architecture, interior architecture, professional writing, and digital and graphic design professionals.
We have invited six representatives at different stages of their career to impart their wisdom on our students and recent graduates on career paths, industry news and, most importantly, what employers are looking for.
This is your chance to practise your networking skills and ask any burning questions that you may have about your future careers. It’s also a great opportunity to get in front of your potential future employers, get feedback on samples of your work and get the edge come the all-important internship and job hunting time.
Not all representatives will be there for the duration of the Fair, so make sure you log into UniHub, book yourself into the Networking Zone and select the industry professional you would most like to meet.
Here are our esteemed networkers:
Malcolm Birch – Architect
Mal is an architect who has been in practice for himself for twenty-five years. A graduate of Curtin University, Mal was originally from a farming background, which probably laid the platform for his practical approach to architecture and building.
With experience across both architecture and project management, Birchgroup operates mainly in the commercial sector, although has also delivered many multi-residential projects. Mal’s focus is on project development from inception through to final delivery.
Current projects include two retirement villages, an aged care facility, an exclusive high-end residential development, some smaller shopping centre refurbishment programs and a rooftop bar.
Mal has always enjoyed working with and nurturing young work associates, many who have moved on successfully, having been given the opportunity to experience all aspects of architectural practice within a smaller work environment.
Shannon Palmer – Graphic Designer
Shannon completed a Creative Advertising and Graphic Design degree at Curtin in 2016 while also working as a Graphic Designer on campus through the Earn While You Learn program. She has interned at Media on Mars and Wren Design, and is now employed full time as a Designer at Wren.
Shannon works across a broad range of clients and projects, from the education and medical sectors to start ups and new enterprises. She looks to continue learning and has enrolled in +Acumen’s and IDEO’s Human Centred Design course, while still pursuing freelance work and skills-acquisition workshops.
Elizabeth Gorey – Interior Architect
Elizabeth entered Design College in 1983 and studied interior design at Leederville Technical College (Interior Architecture’s pre curser) while working for a furniture manufacturer and distributer, and interior designer.
She started her own design practice called Landmark, designing residential, corporate and retail design, before working for Woods Bagot, Davenport Campbell, Goudie Associates and M. Moser in Hong Kong.
Elizabeth returned to Australia in 2000 and enrolled in the Interior Architecture course at Curtin. She continued with small interior design projects while a student and continued to study at Curtin for the next 10 years, achieving degrees in BA Interior Architecture, Post Grad Facilities Management and Masters Project Management.
She has been employed by Government since 2006, to project manage capital works projects, which have included prisons, police stations, fire stations and schools. Her design ability and architectural knowledge is the secret to her successful working career.
Rowena O’Byrne-Bowland – Professional Writer
Since graduating from Curtin in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communications and Cultural Studies (Professional Writing and Anthropology), Rowena secured employment at Perth Zoo by impressing management during a university writing practicum. After two years of contracts at the zoo, she decided to become a freelance writer and gained a reputation for her proficiency.
This experience then led to Rowena establishing The Write Words Communications, a strategic copy-writing and copy-editing consultancy that specialises in web content, tenders, technical documentation, promotional materials, grant writing and more.
As Chief Word Herder & Director, Rowena also strategises with her clientele on how best to communicate their core business, as well as project managing engineering tenders worth up to $100m and other large-scale projects.
In her spare time, she sits on the Board of Edmund Rice Camps WA, a charity that provides programs and services for disadvantaged children.
Isabel Kruger – Digital Designer
A graduate of the renowned University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, Germany, Izzi has over 18 years’ experience designing communications in large, boutique and local agencies, in Australia and internationally.
Izzi is a design thinker in the true sense of the definition. She is a tenacious problem solver with a focus on finding desirable solutions for clients. No rock is ever left unturned on Izzi’s projects with her meticulous attention to detail. Her logic, imagination, intuition and abilities in systematic reasoning and research are backed up by decades of experience and bucket loads of talent. Her approach is consequently geared to actions that create a better experience, all round, for clients.
Izzi has a unique international perspective and has won design and photography awards. Residing in Australia since 2004, she is a proud member of the Fremantle community.
Isabel now specialises in branding and web design as a Senior Designer for Media on Mars.
Orla Larkin – Digital Designer
Orla is an award winning designer with extensive international experience. To say she creates beautiful websites is an understatement. She consistently creates individually crafted, beautiful, high-end websites that expertly represent what is unique about each client. She has a canny sixth sense when it comes to understanding her clients and always manages to create designs that capture the essence of an organisation. Orla has over 15 years’ experience, specialising in brand-building and digital design.
Orla began her career studying fine arts but felt she needed to do something more grounded, so she switched to studying Industrial Design in Dublin and then Milan. As soon as the World Wide Web took off, Orla knew that digital held a career for her, and so went back to study in that area. In her spare time Orla can be found building/restoring/up-cycling furniture, and enjoying the sights and delights that Freo has to offer.
Orla now works for Media on Mars as a Digital Designer.
