During the summer holidays, I was lucky enough to be one of the 174 students across NZ to attend the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum (aka nerd camp). This camp allowed the opportunity for well-rounded science students to immerse themselves in STEM based activities and modules for two weeks. The thought of living with complete strangers at a university hall was daunting at first. However, as the days went by, tight-knit friendships developed and long life memories were made. Throughout the forum, I was exposed to many science based careers such as bioengineering, chemistry, sport science, astronomy e.t.c was able to talk to university lecturers, researchers and learnt about how our generation plays a vital role in NZ’s science and technology future. This hands-on experience is something I highly recommend to any year 12s interested in science or technology based careers. As cheesy as it sounds it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Following my departure from Science forum, I created a video (linked below) to remind me of the unforgettable two weeks I had.

Beatrice Belleza Year 13