It’s been such a fantastic year for Café Connect, with so many students joining us every Tuesday during semester to get an introduction to #CurtinLife, enjoy free snacks and connect with like-minded students.
For those unfamiliar with Café Connect, the program is an exciting initiative designed to connect our international with other students on campus! Not only do you get to interact with other students, but you can also chat to staff and participate in each week’s themed activities.
This year, we had a whole range of guest speakers who joined us to address topics ranging from connecting with faculty, navigating international student life, careers and employability, wellbeing and much more!
With incredible turnouts every week, we were thrilled to meet new students and see them flourish over the course of each semester, surrounded by so many of their peers.
Shuhui, an international student, attended Café Connect when she first arrived at Curtin. She became interested in attending Café Connect after learning that it was a super casual space where she could learn new things each week and connect with other students.
“It gave me the sense of consistency and comfort knowing that I’ll be seeing the same staff members. They were always so approachable.”
Her favourite part of being involved in Café Connect was the opportunity to meet new people.
“I was very grateful to meet a lot of wonderful and supportive people along the way who helped me settle into uni and find the best version of myself.
Christina, a staff member at Curtin, attended two Café Connect events in semester 2 and said she loved seeing so many people from different cultures chatting, eating food, connecting and doing activities together.
“The information provided at the events are handy if you’re confused about student life at Curtin. It’s a good place to go to do a deep dive into one aspect of unilife from an admin perspective, and a great opportunity to ask staff members questions.”
Another highlight was the Physical Wellness themed event held at Curtin Stadium in September, where students were able to learn about nutrition, health and wellbeing and do fun activities like making their own pedal powered smoothie.
This year, Café Connect are incredibly grateful to have partnered with the Curtin Student Guild and the International Students Committee, who were phenomenal in supporting the initiative to reach new students and to get the word out around campus.
With such a great year behind us, we can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring.
To find out more about Café Connect, watch the video below.
In 2023, Café Connect was awarded the WA International Education Program of the Year 2023 by CISWA (Council for International Students of Western Australia) and won the Global Curtin Award for Enhancing the Experience of Our Global Community of Students
