Chatting with Mahsa Nabizada, a current participant at the 2022 NYSF Year 12 Program, it’s impossible not to have hope for a bright future.
Hailing from Toowomba, Mahsa waited very patiently for her time to apply for the NYSF Year 12 Program after first hearing about it from one of her student mentors when she was still in Year 7!
Mahsa has spent a lot of time volunteering throughout her time at high school for everything from local radio, to youth parliament, to various other community initiatives. Mahsa understands and appreciates the importance of community, and this is exactly what drew her most to the NYSF. She sees the program as an excellent opportunity to connect to a broader culture and community – from her fellow students to the scientists and other STEM professionals involved. Connecting with the NYSF alumni as she continues her pathway after school is also exciting.
Unsure of exactly where she wants to head with her future career, Mahsa is using her time at the program to explore the expansive variety of opportunities in STEM, and is thrilled to have this chance to be exposed to so many different avenues. She says a clear highlight has been the opportunity to connect with scientists and STEM professionals to ask the burning questions that all the students have.
"A highlight was talking to researchers and scientists from CERN. We had a live tour of the Large Hadron Collider, which was absolutely amazing. As someone who loves learning about nuclear technology and nuclear science, it was an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to ask those researchers questions."
By the end of the 12 days Mahsa has a clearer idea of the direction she’d like to explore further, and for now is committed to staying open to all that is on offer.
"The career session [was] highly helpful and useful in allowing me to explore more careers and plan my journey after school. These sessions allowed me to connect with industry leaders that I am now connected to and communicate with on professional sites like LinkedIn. Furthermore, I was able to develop my love and interest in the STEM field after hearing about the amazing real-world impacts we can make in the world and in the future."
Undeterred by attending the NYSF online, Mahsa says “it presents a challenge, but students are embracing the challenge of it all and are using initiative and innovation to still make connections in new and creative ways in meetups and forums in the online spaces.” She says she’s still been able to connect and make lots of new friends despite not being at the program in person.
Mahsa is highly supportive of the program and says she would “highly recommend it to all students interested in a potential career in STEM.”
"My advice to younger students would be to never stop learning about this field, to stay curious, and take on opportunities that show up throughout their journey in high school. A perfect example is the NYSF. I am so grateful that I took the initiative and courage to apply and I thank NYSF for believing in me."
Thank you to Rotary for their endorsement and support of participants to attend the National Youth Science Forum. Through the support of the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, and private donors, we are able to award additional scholarships to students who may otherwise be unable to attend.