Way back in May we heard from Ainsley Lea about her fantastic experiences with National Youth Science Forum and how this had influenced her career choices. At that time your club also heard from Saara Silvola who had applied to go on the latest NYSF with support from Alex Rotary.
Well stop press...... we are delighted to let you know that Saara has been accepted from a strong field of candidates and we send her our congratulations and look forward to hearing about her experiences when she returns !!
Here is part of Saara's application (its impressive) - and we also understand that her interview with the Rotary District team blew them away!
"I consider myself very STEM-oriented - I study chemistry, biology and psychology in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and am very interested in their study and research. I find science in general very fascinating as answers and explanations always exist, even if they have not been discovered yet. I am also interested in volunteering in the community through events such as the Mooloolaba Ironman, the Mooloolaba Triathlon (2019/2020) and LifePoint Baptist Church’s Christmas Lights (2017-2020). I also participate in fundraisers such as The World’s Greatest Shave and Cancer Council’s Relay for Life (2019).
My hobbies include reading for leisure, swimming, playing the piano, playing netball and going to the gym to keep a balanced lifestyle.
Over the past few years, I have discovered my true love for STEM through the various opportunities and extra-curricular activities I have been involved in, such as the QLD Regional STEM GirlPower Ambassador program in 2019 (alumni for 2020 and 2021), the 2020 UQ Science Ambassador program, USC’s STEM connect program in 2019 and ‘Meet the researcher’ webinar meetings through QUT’s STEM Internship program in 2020.
My biggest achievements include being an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme academic scholarship winner in 2019 and 2020, receiving a Mountain Creek SHS Community Service and Leadership Award in 2019, being named the academic DUX of the grade in 2017 and 2018, participating in the USC Maths Modelling Challenge in 2018 and 2019 (1st place in 2018) and being a school leader since 2017. I anticipate that being a part of the National Youth Science Forum will be as rewarding as my previous experiences."
This is a young lady we wil be hearing a lot more about in future.
Congratulations Saara