The following article was received from Helen Sexton, a local chiropractor; her partner is Brett Houlden, whose 2 sons attended NYSF some years ago. We keep in touch with her, and she came to help us recently at our NYSF Student/parent information session at Discovery Centre. We do try to keep in touch with parents and past students; some could possibly be future Friends of Rotary or members.
Lynne Cooper.
So lovely to see you again at the NYSF information evening!
I felt quite nostalgic seeing those young faces – and very excited for the experience that lies ahead for them.
Both our boys – Tom and Blaze still speak fondly of their own NYSF adventure and the positive trailing effects it has had on their (still) young lives. You’ve asked me to write a little of their paths since NYSF, now 12yrs and 9yrs ago, respectively.
So, Tom left Bendigo after VCE to study Science/Arts at UNSW, Sydney – fuelled by a love of science and philosophy, and very much supercharged by the NYSF experience. He reunited with many of his NYSF cohort at uni in Sydney. As with so many school leavers, his interests diversified in that first couple of years of university, and much to our surprise, he transferred to an Economics/Arts degree. It was a very conscious decision, and one that he explained at the time would allow him to have a more meaningful impact on the world. That year, UNSW featured Tom in their marketing program – a YouTube clip ( attached the link below) - and he gave (point of view from a doting mother) a thoughtful explanation of what he hoped to achieve through his study. Tom graduated with Honours and was fortunate enough to be offered a graduate position at Treasury in Canberra. But he had itchy feet for research – particularly in the field of Effective Altruism, and after six months, he applied for a researcher role at the Global Priorities Institute, which at that time was at Oxford University. In the two years he worked there, he had incredible access to some truly great minds and was challenged by the breadth of research opportunities available to him. It seemed an obvious thing that he further consolidate his own academic path, and he applied to several international universities for a Master's in Economics. He was accepted to the London School of Economics and completed his Master's. Following this, he again applied internationally to begin a PhD program in Economics. He had established a network of researchers and academics who supported him through this arduous application process, and he was able to choose from several European and American universities offering him a position in their PhD programs. It was a difficult choice, but ultimately he felt Columbia University in New York might be the best fit for his interests. And that is where he is today, currently in his second year of a five-year PhD program, studying growth and technology…and delving very deeply into AI.
Blaze, so far, has had a less convoluted academic and professional journey. He completed VCE and went straight into a science degree at Melbourne University. He has always had a strong maths/science interest. Again, he connected with many of his NYSF friends, especially in those early years of his degree. He completed his Master's in Physics and was encouraged to apply to the Melbourne Uni PhD program. He is now in his second year of a PhD and is studying binary black hole gravitational waves (yep, it’s a mouthful). At this year’s Astronomical Society Annual Meeting in Canberra, he won the poster prize for his research (I’m a proud Mum). Blaze works with OzGrav in an outreach program at high schools, showing students the universe through virtual reality goggles.
There you have it. Their paths continue.
Both Tom and Blaze are deeply grateful for their NYSF experience