“I Found My People”: How One Defining Moment Set Oliver On His Path
Meet Oliver Barrett, a UWA Doctor of Medicine student and UWA Guild Vice President, who found confidence, community, and purpose through College life and the Guild. Originally from Mosman Park in Perth, Oliver attended Scotch College before embarking on his journey at UWA.
“[Going into Uni] I just wanted to take it easy, do a nice undergrad that I would enjoy with a bit of chemistry, biology, that sort of thing… I just wanted to sort of take it easy,” Oliver recalls. “But I realised when I was living at St Cat’s that it was an amazing community. And I really wanted to be involved more.”
He soon took on more responsibility, working as an RA and eventually becoming Co-President at the college. That transition – from attending events to helping organise them – was a turning point.
“It was sort of a shift from that… to working behind the scenes as an RA. Like, there’s a whole lot that goes into everything that goes on on campus. And I feel like I’ve been lucky enough to be in a very well-placed position to help promote a bit of campus engagement and culture.”
From College life to campus-wide change
Oliver’s next big moment came when he was invited to join the UWA Student Guild: “I knew I was moving out of St Catherine’s… and getting involved with the Guild, I saw as a way to have an impact.”
Becoming an Ordinary Guild Councillor (OGC), then Vice President, Oliver threw himself into improving the student experience – not for prestige, but because he believed in making a difference.
“It’s purely and simply just getting involved, seeing students excel, seeing students make friends. That’s been so rewarding,” he explains. “It’s really important to have that student voice within the university.”
How UWA’s Medicine program helped him thrive
Oliver is now deep into his Doctor of Medicine, and he says the program’s structure has made it easier to form meaningful connections.
“Now in medicine there’s 250 students who are all going to the exact same classes, the exact same tutorials… There’s a lot more of a cohort feel… That’s something I found has been very, very rewarding – to be able to make friends within medicine.”
He also highlights the lasting impact of UWA’s teaching staff: “I remember going up to a professor and saying, ‘Hey, what units are you doing next year? How can I get into your units so I can have you again?’ That’s a very telling moment that really describes the positive impact UWA staff can have.”
Oliver’s advice for new students?
As for one piece of advice to future students, Oliver keeps it simple: “Don’t go to class and go home. Don’t just rock up, do the bare minimum and head back.
“There’s always a club or a degree-specific group you can get involved in… The scale of UWA and the various 140+ clubs really give you the opportunity to find that little niche…
”Or find like-minded people you can make friends with.”