Alumni Stories
How a º£½ÇÉçÇø alumna created a PR movement
When University of Canberra alumna Woro Larasati moved to Canberra from Indonesia at the age of 12, little did she know she’d still be living in the ACT in 2025.
The move – prompted by her father’s job – saw Woro’s entire family relocate to Australia.
It was in Canberra that she discovered her love for creativity and the arts. One of her earliest memories is having her love for drawing recognised by teachers at her new school – Curtin Primary.
“At the time, I had just arrived from Indonesia. It was an exciting and daunting transition joining a Year Six class, outside of the cliques that had already been formed. As a new student and a minority, I felt unseen by many of my classmates,” Woro says.
“While my English was good, I preferred to communicate visually – I realised at a young age that creativity is a powerful tool for communication.
“There was something powerful about creating a visual and tangible piece of art that my teachers and I could see and appreciate, without needing to say much.”
Her passion continued throughout her schooling years, and when choosing a college to attend for Years 11 and 12, Narrabundah College’s art program was an obvious choice.
With plenty of creative subjects on offer, Woro tried her hand at fashion and industrial design, before settling on what would go on to become her true passion – graphic design.
“I really threw myself into that and discovered photoshop and photography, and I fell in love,” Woro says.
“The technology was all new to me, and I loved the idea that you could enhance your work and channel your creativity into technology – packaging it together.”
It was throughout her college years that Woro decided to pursue a career in graphic design, and started considering her options beyond school.
She settled on the Bachelor of Graphic Design (with Honours) at UC for several reasons – including the fact that she loves Canberra, and wanted to study locally. Despite her family moving back to Indonesia, Woro says it was worth staying to pursue the art form she loves.
“There was a lot of things that UC covered from theory, to practical, so it was more of a well-rounded type of learning,” Woro says.
“I have really vivid memories of the final year exhibition (FADx) and that opportunity to really celebrate the work of myself and others in the cohort.
“It also helped me connect with future employers who might have been visiting the exhibition.”
Soon after graduating, Woro got a job with a private graphic design firm. She’s currently a Senior Graphic Designer at Geoscience Australia, where she has spent almost nine years working. It was during her time there that she discovered a gap in the market for networking among graphic designers in the APS.
Reflecting on the connections she built throughout her time at university, Woro knew that by networking and building a community, she could replicate the support she received when she first moved to Australia.
It was for this reason that she spearheaded the Graphic & Visual Design Community (within the Digital Profession) which launched in early 2024.
“Particularly with the evolving technology in our profession, I wanted to connect with like-minded professionals,” Woro says.
“The initiative was born from my passion for creative and effective communication within the public service, and it aims to enhance our visual capabilities and messaging in a safe and accessible way.”
The Community is open to anyone who works within the APS and is a member of the digital profession. Members can attend networking events and learn from colleagues from other departments and agencies.
Despite the group being new, recent events have attracted up to 70 attendees.
“I feel like graphic designers can be hard at work behind the scenes bringing creative visions to life,” Woro says.
“Quite often graphic designers can be reserved, so the Digital Profession Community is a good space for us to be able to celebrate our work and our achievements.”
Words by Elly Mackay, photos by Katelyn Yeo and supplied.