Charles Sturt University Alumni

S T A N D O U T

"University literally changed the trajectory of my (and my family’s) life. I wouldn’t be in the career I love, the position I’m in, or have the lifelong friends I have if it wasn’t for my time at uni." - Chris Colter.

From a small regional town to a global stage, Chris Colter’s journey is a testament to what's possible with the right support.

🏆 We are thrilled to congratulate Chris on his recent win as the ‘Outstanding Graduate for 2004-2013’ in the QUT Five Decades of Advertising Graduates competition!

Proudly representing Charles Sturt University amongst the best of the best in the industry, Chris is Chief Strategy and Product Officer at AdAge's 2023 A-List Media Agency of the Year, Initiative.

“As a guy who grew up in a family where university was a pipe dream, this is a particularly special recognition."

As a proud Charles Sturt University Foundation Trust Scholarship recipient, Chris's pipe dream was realised.

🖼️ The photo of Chris with his 2009 donors, Ms Heather Fiala and Dr. Oliver, is proudly framed on his living room wall to this day.

Chris’s gratitude to his scholarship donors is heartfelt:

"Not a week goes by that I’m not reminded of their generosity."

Congratulations on your well-deserved success Chris, we can't wait to see what's next for you! 🎉👏

🎓 Chris Colter
Bachelor of Communication (Advertising)/Bachelor of Business (Marketing) 2010, Honours 2011

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G I V E A W A Y

⛸️ Who's ready to hit the ice?

🎟️ We have 15 double passes to the Bathurst Winter Festival up for grabs exclusively for our alumni!

📸 To enter simply DM us a photo from your uni days - first in best dressed!

📅 Entries Close:
12pm, Friday 5th July 2024

👇 See comments for more T's & C's 👇

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C O N N E C T E D 🤝

When expectation lives up to reality 👩‍🍳🤌

🚀We had a blast at our Sydney Alumni LinkedIn Masterclass event last night. Not only was it fun, but it was jam-packed with practical advice for everyone in the room from CEOs to researchers, IT specialists to social workers, entrepreneurs to new graduates.

💬Here is some of our favourite feedback so far:

“I have a lot to talk about at the office tomorrow. We have a marketing team of 9 and we aren’t doing any of this!”
- Joel

“I wish I didn’t eat before I got here, this food is so good!”
- Tim

“What do you mean we have our own QR code?!”
- Everyone

💡We are looking forward to sharing more photos and some cracking strategy tips over on our Alumni LinkedIn Page next week (link in bio)

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N A N O T E C H N O L O G Y

🧑‍🔬Could advancements in nanotechnology be the key to unlocking accessible early detection and treatment of disease?

🔎 Find out tomorrow night at our free public lecture lead by Charles Sturt's nanotechnology expert Professor Muhammad Shiddiky.

📍 Attend in person at our Orange Campus or join the livestream.

Find out more and register your interest here: https://bit.ly/3VTI5y5

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Provocations Public Lecture | Humanitix Get tickets on Humanitix - Provocations Public Lecture hosted by DVCRevents, Charles Sturt University. Charles Sturt University, Building 1008, Rm 206, Orange Campus, 346 Leeds Parade, Orange NSW 2800, Australia. Wednesday 26th June 2024. Find event information.

W A L K L E Y S

🎉 Congratulations Bill Ormonde! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce that our alumnus, Bill Ormonde, has been awarded the 'John B Fairfax Family Young Australian Journalist of the Year' and won the 'Visual Storytelling' category at the 2024 Walkley Foundation Awards for his powerful piece, ‘Out of the Darkness’.

Bill's story, which delves into the mental health struggles of remote graziers, has been praised for its sensitivity and maturity. The judges commented:

“Bill Ormonde exercised real sensitivity as a journalist to reveal the life-changing consequences of mental illness for people in remote Australia. Bill’s work shows a level of maturity rarely found in such a young journalist.”

The story centres around Wes, a grazier living on a station 120km north-west of Broken Hill, who began writing poetry to help with his depression and isolation. His words are truly moving.

Bill shared his excitement, saying:

“I'm stoked. Thanks to those who chose the awards - it’s nice to see someone take an interest in regional Australia. It’s an absolute privilege to live and work where I do.”

With a start at 2MCE during his uni days, Bill is now a video journalist for ABC Broken Hill covering the vast outback of New South Wales.

Since arriving in Broken Hill in 2021 he has covered stories including Wilcannia's COVID outbreak, the NSW Government's response to the Ice Inquiry, flooding along the Darling River and the Menindee fish kill.

We're proud to see a Charles Sturt University graduate making such a significant impact and shining a light on important issues for regional Australia. 👏

Read Bill's award-winning story 'Out of the Darkness' here: https://ab.co/45DFJXw

Bill Ormonde
Bachelor of Communication (Journalism), 2019

📷 Awards photos thanks to Adam Hollingworth, HiredGun
📷 Wes and his ute thanks to Bill Ormonde, ABC.



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N E T W O R K

Top 3 reasons not to miss our exclusive alumni event in Sydney next week:

1️⃣ Learn from the best: Renowned LinkedIn expert Lucy Bingle has curated a masterclass specifically for Charles Sturt University graduates, discover insider tips and tricks to optimise your profile, grow your network strategically, and showcase your expertise through compelling thought leadership.

2️⃣ Professional Headshots: Update your LinkedIn profile with a stunning headshot captured by professional photographers. Make a lasting impression and stand out from the crowd!

3️⃣ Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow Charles Sturt alumni and expand your professional circle. Forge valuable connections that could open doors to exciting career opportunities!

Tickets are selling fast - get yours today!

🔗 https://bit.ly/4chDZoY

📆 Thursday, June 27, 2024
⏰ 6:15pm - 8:30pm
📍 Rydges Sydney Central
📸 Professional headshots
🥂 Networking + nibbles
🎁 Alumni gift

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H O N G • K O N G

📚✨ "My professional qualifications and international working experience gave me the opportunity to experience a life filled with adventure." - Lilly Hoi Sze Ho

📖 If you think the life of a librarian means only reading about adventures, not having them - think again!

From Hong Kong to Darwin, Lilly’s journey through the Charles Sturt and HKU SPACE program shows how global connections can spark incredible adventures.

🇭🇰 While living in Hong Kong, Lilly completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Library and Information Management) via the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE).

Despite her geographical distance, Lilly's connection to Charles Sturt runs deep.

“The conversations with my Australian professors were always inspired. While attending classes at HKU SPACE, I felt that I was strongly connected with the Charles Sturt University main campuses.”

It was these meaningful conversations that left a lasting impression on her, igniting her curiosity about the library world beyond Hong Kong and inspiring her to envision a future intertwined with global opportunities.

In her current role at the Library & Archives NT, Lilly oversees a culturally diverse team and spearheads initiatives to advance digital collections and infrastructure—a testament to her vision and leadership acumen.

"The best thing about what I do is to make a continuous impact on the library world."

👀 Dive into Lilly's adventure-filled career and see how Charles Sturt University's global connections open doors to endless possibilities 👇

https://bit.ly/4b1M7c4

Lilly Hoi Sze Ho
Grad Dip. in Applied Science (Library and Information Management), 2006

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HKU SPACE 香港大學專業進修學院
IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Library & Archives NT

O R I G I N

We’re not normally ones to take sides… but when one of our students is captaining our home state it’d be rude not to! 💙👍

Welcome to the Charles Sturt Elite Athlete and Performer Program Captain and future teacher - Jake Trbojevic! 🏈🧑‍🏫

Let’s go NSW!



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Living Hot - Surviving and thriving on a heating planet

Reserve your seat for tomorrow's The ‘Living Hot’ book launch, panel discussion, and Charles Sturt project announcement which will challenge current perspectives on Australia's climate change response and propose practical directions for effective action.

Event highlights:
📚 Book Launch: Unveiling ‘Living Hot’ by Professor of Public Ethics, Clive Hamilton and energy expert, George Wilkenfeld (published by Hardie Grant Publishing).
🎤 Panel Discussion: Led by Stan Grant with esteemed guests, Bridget Archer, Michelle Grattan, Nick McKim and David Pocock.
📣 Project Announcement: Renée Leon will launch the Charles Sturt 'Living Hot Project', aiming to foster resilience and fairness in a warming world.

When: Wednesday 5 June 2024
Book signing and light lunch: 12.15PM - 12.50PM (AEDST)
Event: 1.00PM - 2.00PM (AEDST)
Venue: The Theatrette, Parliament House, Canberra and online.

This event is free to attend and will also be live-streamed.
Register at this link https://bit.ly/4aLVNHM

C E L E B R A T E

Sprinkling a little magic on Day 2 of our 2024 Bathurst graduation ceremonies to welcome all of our newest alumni!

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B A T H U R S T

Day 1 ✔️

You absolutely nailed it today grads - what a blast!

We have hundreds of fun photos from today and we can’t wait to share them all with you. Keep an eye on our stories and a full album will be dropping on Facebook soon 👀

Keep tagging us in your photos - we love it! 🧡

C E R E M O N Y • S E A S O N

While one half of our team have been travelling around the regions presenting graduation pins, the other half have been presenting scholarships to current students. It’s so rewarding to be a part of these special moments in the lives of our students.

We know many of our students could not have made it through to graduation day without the kindness and generosity of our donors.

Congratulations Toby Gough who received the Doctor Ron Camplin $18,000 scholarship from Doctor Saranne Cooke, Deputy Chancellor Charles Sturt University.

Toby is a first year Bachelor of Communications (News Media) student on the Bathurst campus.

He is also working as a Broadcaster and Producer at 2bs 95.1 FM

Well done on your amazing efforts and your journey ahead.

O V E R • E A S Y

What a stunning location to catch up with alumni friends in Singapore!

Sarah and Craig from our team had a wonderful time catching up with some more of our Singapore based alumni for a bite at OverEasy. It was so lovely to hear about the connections between this wonderful group - even a Charles Sturt love story or two!

Thank you to everyone who came along - please feel free to add your photos to this album too - we'd love to see them.



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P H N O M • P E N H

We recently had the pleasure of connecting with our Charles Sturt University - Alumni Cambodia Association in Phnom Penh, and what an enriching experience it was!

Overlooking the bustling cityscape of Phnom Penh, our alumni gathered for a memorable evening of networking and reminiscing at the Le Moon Rooftop Lounge. It was a joy to see old connections rekindled and new ones forged.

Thank you to everyone who came along and to the wonderful team at Le Moon Lounge for their hospitality.

Please feel free to add your photos to this album and tag your friends!

V R • W O R L D

Our team was excited to catch up with our Singapore based alumni to experience the fun at VR World Singapore!

Thank you to everyone who came along and to the fantastic team at VR World Singapore for such a great experience.

Please feel free to add your photos to this album and tag your friends!

M A L A Y S I A

What a !

It was a thrill a minute when the Alumni Team visited our alumni in Malaysia and took on the Bomb Battle Elite challenge!

This was so much fun and the energy of the team
took it to a whole new level - thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came along, we can't wait to do this again.

Please feel free to add your photos to this album and tag your friends!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re looking for the best physio in town, forget Google Reviews, just check their socks!



Congratulations to Brett and all our new physiotherapy graduates - it was so lovely to welcome you to the alumni community this week!