Kia ora, my name is Te Rina Sinclair ( top left photo )and I’m a year 13 student at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. These summer holidays I had the privilege of attending the annual Rotary National Science & Technology Forum thanks to the sponsorship of the Jenkins Foundation. Other than the lectures at the Auckland universities, we were given the chance to visit three institutes or companies of our choice; mine were the Auckland Medical School, HERA, and Landcare Research. Not only did I realize that I was very interested in medicine because of this forum, but I also made many new friends from all over the country and got to stay in the dorms of the university I plan on attending. This forum gave me a taste of how hectic university life will be and I’ve got to say, it was probably two of the most memorable weeks of my life!
Talofa lava, my name is Tusipepa Tautaiolevao ( top right photo ) and I am a year 13 student at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. I was given the opportunity to attend the annual Rotary National Science and Technology Forum over the holidays for exactly two weeks. All thanks to the Jenkins Foundation for sponsoring me and allowing me to take part in the forum as it was a life-changing experience that I was lucky enough to have. This forum has opened my eyes to many new opportunities that I did not know about, allowed me to make new friends from across New Zealand, create strong bonds with each other, and show the real me with the people I saw as strangers but now as one big family. During the forum, we travelled to the University of Auckland, Massey University, and AUT, to attend the modules that we were required to go to as well as three Tech Visits we have chosen: mine was NZ Police, BECA, and Foodbowl. I was able to experience the life of a university student and all I can say is that it is busy.
Before the forum, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to study at Auckland Uni which was medicine because I want to become a doctor, but after the forum, many other sensational opportunities were given for me to explore and dwell upon. I’d never thought that two weeks at the forum would be filled with such passionate and talented students, along with such supportive advisors, enthusiastic lecturers, and enjoyable activities. Therefore, the forum has made two weeks of my life an inspiring and memorable experience.
A short story about the forum with a couple of images
The Forum began on Sunday the 10th of January and ended on Saturday the 23rd. We leaped into lectures on Tuesday and our schedules were full from 6:30 in the morning, when we’d have our early morning activities (EMAs), till 10:30 at night when it’d be lights out. During the forum, we got to attend science and technology-related lectures at the University of Auckland, AUT, and Massey University. In between the more serious aspects of the Forum like the lectures, were countless fun moments and events to keep us from becoming worn out. These included a disco, a talent show, a quiz night, and volleyball competitions a couple of times a week. On Saturday the 16th, we had an Explore Auckland day for the non-Aucklanders to explore our city and a beach day on Sunday to recuperate and get a bit of a tan, or for many, sunburnt! However, I think one of the highlights for many of us was the forum meetings where our advisors would do bizarre things and many forum traditions would take place. One example of a tradition was fining where students would snitch on other students for breaking rules or doing silly things and the advisors would fine those students depending on what they’d done. Overall, other than taking away knowledge from this forum, we also left with friendships and hilarious memories that we’ll treasure for years. None of it would have been possible without the support of the Jenkins Foundation and for that, we are truly thankful.Kia ora, my name is Te Rina Sinclair ( top left photo )and I’m a year 13 student at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. These summer holidays I had the privilege of attending the annual Rotary National Science & Technology Forum thanks to the sponsorship of the Jenkins Foundation. Other than the lectures at the Auckland universities, we were given the chance to visit three institutes or companies of our choice; mine were the Auckland Medical School, HERA, and Landcare Research. Not only did I realize that I was very interested in medicine because of this forum, but I also made many new friends from all over the country and got to stay in the dorms of the university I plan on attending. This forum gave me a taste of how hectic university life will be and I’ve got to say, it was probably two of the most memorable weeks of my life!
First photo is of the Orange group taking photos after one of the Forum’s major sponsors, David Ross, gave a business lecture. Second photo is Tusipepa and friends at the volleyball finals. Followed by Te Rina and friends on their way to the Forum Formal Dinner on the final night in the third photo.