I hail from Malaysia and I arrived in Perth in 2018. Being an international student, I wasn’t able to drive to Perth to look at Colleges and had to rely on their websites to choose a College. After browsing through the websites, it dawned on me that St Catherine’s College is the only college with an Innovation Centre - Bloom. At that point in time, I could not fully comprehend what innovation or entrepreneurship was but I was determined to make myself a part of this golden opportunity once I set foot in Perth.

In my second semester at College, I enrolled in Bloom’s Launchpad unit, and the rest was history. I have grown immensely in both the personal and professional aspects of my life. Taking the Launchpad Unit truly exposed me to new horizons that allowed me to view problems as opportunities and consider things from various perspectives. After completing this unit, I made it a point to continue my involvement with Bloom, not only to be around like-minded individuals, but to also attain the inspiration and motivation to start-up a project of my own. A desk at the Bloom Lab provided me with a safe space to grow and a spot within WA’s innovation community, which was the first step I needed to start my own coffee drip bag business - Velarose. The Bloom community was very supportive and would never hesitate to give me advice or lend a helping hand with my business.

Fast forward seven semesters later, and the College was kind enough to offer me the opportunity of interning at the Youth Innovation Centre in the first semester of 2021 to create a platform for High School students within Perth and regional areas to explore the concept of innovation. I have gained a lot from this experience, and am truly grateful as this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I worked alongside highly competent people with exemplary work ethics, and the lessons they have taught me will frame my own career as I am about to embark on a Graduate Job at HLB Mann Judd. Albeit a hint of platitude to this statement, I truly believe that my involvement with Bloom has changed my life for the better and I would not be the person that I am today, if not for the College and for Bloom.

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