I could not more strongly encourage you to attend the NYSF. I know that it sounds cliché, but the NYSF is truly life-changing and transformational.
We could talk all day about how transformative the NYSF Year 12 Program is, but how about we hear it straight from 2018 NYSF Alumna Hannah Loh who discovered this for herself and is still raving about it three years later!
Q: Who encouraged you to apply for the NYSF Year 12 Program?
Hannah: It was my Chemistry teacher who encouraged me to attend the NYSF. She really strongly encouraged me to apply, telling me that it was a remarkable experience. I didn’t really understand at the time how 12 days could really be life-changing, but I went ahead and applied anyway. Now, 3 years on from the NYSF, I am still so, so glad that my Chemistry teacher encouraged me to apply, and that I was accepted and went for those 12 days to Canberra.
Q: What are you doing now?
Hannah: I’m now in my 3rd year of undergraduate Medicine at UNSW. I’m really enjoying my course, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to learn from teachers, tutors, and patients, who have shown me how science can help us transform lives and serve each other.
Q: What did you gain from the NYSF Year 12 Program?
Hannah: I emerged from the experience just feeling so energised and excited for Year 12 and beyond. Those 12 days taught me that that I was allowed to dream big, that I could follow my passions, that the world was truly my oyster. I realised that the world of STEM was interdisciplinary – that I could combine all of my dreams, my interests and my passions into one career. I discovered that there were people out there who would support me the whole way, that I wasn’t on my own, and that I now had a network of inspirational friends and mentors who would help me go where I wanted to go.
Q: What did you learn from the program that has stuck with you to this day?
Hannah: The NYSF taught me that dreaming big is not something to be ashamed of. Rather, dreaming big and following your passions is something that brings joy, friendship, and a common hope for the future – and being yourself, completely yourself, is something to be proud of, something really admirable.
Q: What would you say to Year 11 students considering applying the 2022 NYSF Year 12 Program?
Hannah: I could not more strongly encourage you to attend the NYSF. I know that it sounds cliché, but the NYSF is truly life-changing and transformational. And once you experience it – those 12 days among an inspirational community of young people who bond over their love of scientific discovery - you’ll completely understand what I mean!
Year 11 Students can now apply for the 2022 NYSF Year 12 Program. More information about the program and application process can be found here.