Three Roncalli College students were lucky enough to be selected for inspirational and educational programmes at the University of Otago and the University of Canterbury during the summer holiday break.

During the summer holiday break, three Roncalli College students attended education programmes at the University of Otago and the University of Canterbury. Krishna Sridhar (Year 12) attended the Hands on at Otago programme, Dorothy Wilson (Year 11) attended a NZ Marine Science extension and enrichment programme at the Portobello Marine Laboratory and Megan Small (Year 13) attended the Women in Engineering programme at the University of Canterbury. 

Krishna Sridhar:

Krishna spent a week staying at Arana Hall in Dunedin experiencing university life with 393 other Year 11 and 12 students from around New Zealand. His main "project" for the week was Information Science but he also got to look at Forensic Crime Scene Investigation, Volcanology, and Chemistry: "I believe Hands-On At Otago 2021 was a great experience for me in so many different ways. Usually I am a quiet person but I was put in a position where I had no option other than to talk to people I’d never met before. I was put out of my comfort zone and I feel like I adapted well. At the start, I was surrounded by strangers but by the end of the week, I was surrounded by friends.Overall, Hands-On at Otago has given me great opportunities to work independently but also in groups with different people. In my opinion, this has definitely been a very successful residential project for me".

Dorothy Wilson: 

Dorothy got the chance to attend a science research programme based at the Portobello Marine Laboratory (University of Otago) for 3 days in December and then another 4 days in January. Students focused on a research project that blended marine science and the nature of science. "It was very exciting because every day we had something different to do. The course instructors were amazing because they made us understand what life would be like if we went down the road of Marine Biology and Science. Taking this course was a good option for me because I got to have a fantastic experience and meet lots of new amazing people".

Megan Small:

Megan was selected to attend the week long Women in Engineering (WiE) programme at the University of Canterbury in December last year. "Throughout my time at WiE Can, I loved it. I learnt so much more than what I thought I would about engineering. Initially, when I got to WiE Can I was very nervous, but equally as excited as I didn’t know to expect. It was very nerve-racking as the thought of getting lost at UC became very overwhelming. However, I was very excited to meet new people from other schools all over the country as only one girl from each school got picked, so no one knew each other, we were all in the same boat at the start. We also showed up knowing very little about engineering, but throughout the course of the workshops we got to know a lot more about the different disciplines. Within a day or two our nerves had faded away and everyone was having a blast doing all the activities. By the end of the course, everyone was like a little family and we had learnt so much more about engineering than what people had initially told me. I loved it and walked away with a clear direction on what I want to do after school, so I’d highly recommend applying for it for any girls interested in engineering".