ScienceOlympiaNZ

Isla Swanney

I went to school in Nelson and attended the NZ chemistry Olympiad camps in 2022 and 2023. I was fortunate to represent New Zealand in Switzerland (2023) where I achieved a bronze medal. Through attending both the national and international Olympiads I gained lots of great experience in both theoretical and practical chemistry.

This was not only enjoyable and deepened my interest in chemistry, but also very helpful preparation for school exams, Scholarship exams, and the university chemistry courses. I believe that this opened more opportunities for me, making Scholarship and job applications more successful. I also made many friends who I still keep in contact with.

I would recommend the Olympiad to anyone who wants to learn more about different areas of chemistry, is looking to do the Chemistry Scholarship exam, or is simply interested in and enjoys chemistry. I am currently studying a bachelor of engineering (Hons) in chemical and process engineering at Canterbury university.