When Beth Metcalfe and Patrick Grant attended the NYSF Year 12 Program in 2013, neither could have predicted the role it would play in shaping both their careers and their future together. Now based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Beth is a veterinarian, and Patrick is a polymer chemist. The two are preparing to get married next year.
For Beth, NYSF was a defining moment in her life and career.
NYSF 2013 Year 12 Program Group Photo in front of the Academy of Science's Shine Dome. Beth Metcalfe and Patrick Grant are in the second row from the back, just metres apart.
“NYSF was one of the best things I’ve ever done!” she said.
“It was such a formative experience for me, not only did it open my eyes to the myriad of careers available in STEM, it helped me build so much confidence in myself.”
Like many participants, Beth entered the program feeling pressure about academic results.
“It really felt like the ATAR was the be-all-and-end-all,” she said.
Beth has grown into an incredible and passionate general practice veterinarian with a special interest in palliative care.
NYSF helped her see that even if you didn’t get into the course you wanted to after finishing high school, that there were always other options, even if they might take a bit longer.
Patrick also arrived at NYSF knowing he wanted to be a scientist, but unsure which path to follow.
“There is often a disconnect between what is being taught and what is being researched,” he said.
“NYSF was a great introductory step in bridging that divide, whilst presenting pathways and networking opportunities to help reach the other side of the bridge.”
Patrick is now a developmental chemist with a career that ensures no two days are the same.
Both alumni point to the people as one of the most powerful aspects of the program. Beth recalled how refreshing it was to be surrounded by peers who shared her interests and said it was refreshing to discover that she was not alone in loving science. Like many alumni, Patrick also said that without his peers, he may not have gone on to his current career.
Today, Beth works as a general practice veterinarian, a career she described as demanding and deeply rewarding.
“I love feeling like I’m helping people help their animals,” she said.
In recent years, she has developed a passion for palliative care and will soon begin work as an in-home euthanasia veterinarian, with the goal of helping families provide “the perfect goodbye for pets and their humans.”
Patrick, meanwhile, thrives on variety in his role as a development chemist.
His days are always different, balancing laboratory work, mentoring young chemists, and visiting customers.
His career has also allowed him to travel extensively, and he makes a point of catching up with fellow NYSF alumni along the way.
Patrick and Beth reconnected years after the program and are preparing to be married in late 2026.
As for their love story, Beth and Patrick still laugh about how it began. Although they must have met at NYSF, they reconnected years later on a dating app.
“His first message to me was ‘Hey! Beth from NYSF right?’” Beth said.
Only later did they realise they were already Facebook friends, proof that “2013 us knew something that 2021 us didn’t.”
Looking back, both are unequivocal in their advice to current participants.
“Make the most out of the opportunity!” and “Be brave, get to know people.”
“We’ve never once regretted applying to NYSF, and neither of us would be where we are today without it,” they said.