Diversity in STEM Review: draft recommendations

DELIVERING DIVERSITY IN STEM
NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM (NYSF)

SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE
SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) has a proven and long history of connecting young
Australians with a broad range of study, training and careers in science and technology.

NYSF can help the Government drive diversity in Australia’s STEM workforce via practical and measurable programs at key times during the lifecycle. With proven results, national reach, and a
40-year history, the NYSF can help secure a diverse, skilled future STEM workforce.

We seek to:
continue to deliver the programs we are renowned for in collaboration with government
industry, academia and other not-for-profit organisations;
grow the reach of the NYSF suite of programs to ensure more young Australians have the
opportunity to connect with STEM skills and training;
improve the diversity of the STEM workforce, particularly women, First Nations people, and
disadvantaged and underrepresented groups in STEM, such as those from regional and
remote areas of Australia; and
support the Government’s Pathway to Diversity in STEM to widen the skills pipeline and
grow Australia’s science and technology workforce with a truly diverse group of Australians.

About the National Youth Science Forum -----------------------------------------------page 2

Let's talk solutions -----------------------------------------------------------------------page 6

Our feedback to the Diversity in STEM review: draft recommendations ----------------page 8

Case study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------page 19

NYSF - SECURING AUSTRALIA'S DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE 1
ABOUT THE NATIONAL
YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM
SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

The NYSF is committed to improving diversity in the STEM workforce by promoting inclusive pathways for women, First Nations people, and others typically underrepresented in STEM.
Our programs reach young Australians from primary school age through to university graduates. With longitudinal data to evaluate our programs, we can demonstrate success.

Who we are Who we help How we help Impact
Not-for-profit Youth from Year NYSF delivers 90% of NYSF
charity. 7-12, university and immersive youth-led Year 12 Program
beyond. programs that participants go
Inspires and
showcase real on to STEM
connects young A broad and diverse
STEM jobs, people study, training
Australians with group of people
and the many and careers.
STEM. across Australia.
pathways available.

A safe and fast investment
PROVEN NYSF has connected over 15,000 people with STEM jobs, study
RESULTS and training.

MEASURABLE We provide measure and evaluate students pre, post, one-year
DATA and five-years on from the NYSF Year 12 Program.

BROAD We are truly national, NYSF reaches young people all over
REACH Australia and delivers programs throughout Australia.

GOVERNANCE Safe, responsible governance: National and State Child Safe
& SAFETY Principles, safety and extensive risk management underpins all we do.

NYSF ensures inclusivity and diversity with 65% women and
DIVERSITY & 45% remote and regional attendees, access and equity funding,
INCLUSIVITY
and diversity in terms of the areas of STEM we present.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

NYSF programs attract and retain diverse talent

NYSF STEM NYSF YEAR 12 NATIONAL YOUTH
EXPLORER PROGRAM STEM SUMMIT

Primary to Junior High Year 12 - Senior School Those already in early study
and VET training or first job

Engaging late primary Immersive program where The National Youth STEM to early secondary students reside together Summit brings together students in STEM via a offering real-life STEM Australians in early STEM residential camp that experiences for around 500 training and study and shows them real jobs, students from across connects them with industry, people and industries Australia each year. academic and skills networks early on. State Hubs (non-residential, and professional
Piloted and ready for no selection process) in development skills.
national roll-out. cities around Australia. Themes align with critical
STEM workforce needs.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

The NYSF has an impressive amount of longitudinal data and qualitative case studies and testimonials that we use to evaluate our programs. Only a small taste of our data and the case study (pages 19-23) can be included in this submission. We would be happy to make more of our data available to improve diversity and inclusion in STEM.

NYSF Year 12 Program Impact - running since 1984

90% 65%
45%
15,000 of participants are
from regional/remote
of participants go on of participants identify areas of Australia
Alumni since 1984
to STEM careers as female

98+ 1,522
NYSF Access &
Equity Scholarships STEM visits
48% 98%
of participants attend participant
per year since 2015 Australian public schools approval rating

NYSF National Youth STEM Summit Impact - pilot in 2023

93%
80% 95% 1st found the Careers and
of delegates of delegates rated For the majority of Study Expo
completed school in the networking as delegates, this was significantly increased
the past 4 years very good or brilliant their first professional their awareness of
conference opportunities

Proud Wulli Wulli man, Benjamin Millar, attended the 2016 NYSF Year 12
Program; he had his eyes set on a career in biology. Ben’s time at the National
Youth Science Forum showed him the broad array of STEM careers. Ben
changed his focus and graduated from ANU in 2020 with an Honours Degree
in Advanced Computing and now works at Atlassian.

Benjamin Millar, NYSF 2016
Cyber Security Engineer, Atlassian

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DIVERSITY IN STEM
REVIEW: LET'S TALK
SOLUTIONS
SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

What solutions will increase diversity and inclusion in STEM?

Offering subsidised and/or free programs to increase participation of the most diverse groups.

While demand is there, the cost reality sets in.

Our flagship program, the NYSF Year 12 Program, costs $2,850 per participant in 2024. This includes accommodation but excludes travel to and from the program. Despite keeping our operational costs to a minimum, following COVID, costs to deliver an immersive residential program have soared. To take pressure off families and optimise diverse participation, NYSF has subsidised costs for 2024 and budgeted a deficit of -$482,072 for the 2023/2024 financial year.
Such deficit budgets are not sustainable, and we need stable, long-term funding to deliver and grow this important program. Residential immersion is particularly critical for the most diverse participants, e.g., many coming from regional and remote backgrounds cannot travel to cities for other non-residential programs.

Rotary Clubs around Australia also contribute towards the program fee for individual students; however, their capacity for support is lowering, and the demand for additional NYSF Access and
Equity Scholarships gets larger every year.

Selection for the NYSF Year 12 Program is much broader than academic results. It is about having an interest in STEM rather than being a “top student”. This inclusive approach encourages students not typically represented in science and technology to access the NYSF Year 12 Program, including women and girls, those from regional and remote areas, the LGBTIQA+ community, and
First Nation communities. We are inclusive of people with disabilities and those who are neurodiverse.

But we know that we lose students from our pipeline due to cost.

With increased investment, NYSF can channel thousands more diverse STEM-skilled young people into the STEM workforce to help address critical science and technology capability needs.

A collaborative, long-term approach

NYSF has demonstrable experience in delivering large-scale STEM experiences over many decades. Our programs are ready and willing to connect and collaborate with other initiatives. An example of this is our NYSF STEM Explorer program for late primary and early high school students, which could be targeted at specific cohorts, delivered in collaboration with other government programs/other collaborators or focused on the STEM areas of national priority, including in regional areas.

Programs that aim to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM need to match their diverse participants with diverse pathways. NYSF programs connect young people with careers in industry and government – not just university and research-focused careers.

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DIVERSITY IN STEM
REVIEW DRAFT
RECOMMENDATIONS:
HAVE YOUR SAY
SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 1: Improve the coordination, oversight and evidence base for diversity in STEM initiatives through governance and leadership.
We support Recommendation 1a.
NYSF supports the set up of an ongoing central office and independent council to maintain accountability, oversight, and momentum of diversity in STEM initiatives.

NYSF would welcome the opportunity to have a representative on the independent council. We can bring a range of lived experience and perspectives across a wide range of sectors and intersectional cohorts to give advice to the office and the government. Being a not-for-profit charity, we can offer access to cohort opinions and data very quickly and across decades:

15,000 NYSF Year 12 Program alumni since 1984.
generations of STEM professionals and those who have left STEM throughout their career.
high proportion of regional and remote participants.
high proportion of women in STEM.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 2: Embed long-term action on diversity across STEM sectors

We support Recommendation 2a and Recommendation 2b.

NYSF programs:

support the breadth of diversity, beyond gender. We are an existing initiative with with proven
and measurable impact over our almost 40 year history.
fill gaps across the STEM education and employment life cycle through our NYSF programs
across different age groups and experience levels. Our recent NYSF STEM Summit offering fills
a gap in the late study/training pathway into Australia’s national priority areas of STEM.
are evidence-based and subject to a monitoring and evaluation framework to continue to build
this evidence base. Our longitudinal surveys offer insight into our multigenerational impact.
are able to scale to drive broader cultural or systemic change. The NYSF Year 12 Program has
helped over 15,000 people to find their STEM future and we are ready to scale to help even
more young people connect with STEM careers, including more strategic targeting of students
at underrepresented schools and in regional, rural, and remote areas.
do not duplicate initiatives in and across the STEM sector, but connect to them. We capture
students at key career planning decision points, and connect students with existing pathways
and Australian workforce priorities.
engage with industry and academia to align with workforce needs. In 2023, 200 STEM
professionals were involved in 122 student visits to STEM organisations around Australia. The
content delivered is strategically balanced to include First Nations STEM content and speakers
and is continuously updated to feature national science and technology workforce priorities.

Applications for our programs are consistently at least double the amount of places available. The pool of talent is there and we know how to reach them.

Long-term funding, for a minimum of 10 years, would enable the NYSF to channel thousands more STEM-skilled young people into the STEM workforce to help address critical science and technology capability needs. This would allow a more accessible fee structure for participants and the ability to reach and prioritise even more participants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Our current evaluation framework will be extended in a larger dataset, providing an opportunity to monitor the STEM pathways of thousands of young Australians over a set time period.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Recommendation 2a notes programs that have been identified for funding in the strategic approach with reference to existing Women in STEM initiatives. The review of these programs note that the objectives of the identified programs do not match this review’s goal of increasing participation of all underrepresented cohorts.

We would like to suggest an addition to the programs being considered, as we believe that the exisiting NYSF programs meet the goal of increasing participation of all underrepresented cohorts.

The NYSF also already supports other STEM initiatives across government and is eager to explore more formal connections.

The Australian Government should consider the outcomes and impact of the National Youth
Science Forum, an established program in the Australian STEM sector to connect diverse and underrepresented young Australians to STEM careers that has shown demonstrable impact. The government should explore opportunities to assist the program to scale through increased long- term investment.

Our plan for growth - Connect 5,800+ diverse young people over 4 years

2027
2026 NYSF Year 12
Program x 2
NYSF Year 12
2025 NYSF Year 12
State Hubs x 4
Program x 2
National Youth
NYSF Year 12
2024 NYSF Year 12 State Hubs x 4
STEM Summit
Program x 2 NYSF STEM
National Youth
NYSF Year 12 Explorer x 6
NYSF Year 12 STEM Summit
Programs x 2 State Hubs x 4 NYSF STEM
NYSF Year 12 National Youth Explorer x 4
State Hubs x 4 STEM Summit
National Youth NYSF STEM
STEM Summit Explorer x 2

Reach: 1,150+ Reach: 1,350+ Reach: 1,550+ Reach: 1,750+

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 3: Government to incentivise better diversity and inclusion practices in STEM organisations

We support Recommendation 3a.
NYSF programs align with the proposed best practice guidelines for inclusion and diversity, as the
NYSF:

collects demographic data to better understand diversity of participation and long-term
outcomes in programs. This includes data on gender, remoteness, First Nations participation,
and school sector.
conducts long-term monitoring and evaluation built in from the start to inform continuous
improvement and impact assessment. We ask participants to complete a pre-program, post-
program survey, as well as check in at one year and five years post-program to identify
participant pathways and reflections of NYSF program impact.
addresses the nuanced barriers of different and intersectional cohorts in accessing support.
We provide alternate pathways for selection to NYSF programs and provide bonus points for
selection purposes for students from remote, regional, and rural locations and/or who are
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
actively encourages and values the breadth of skills and perspectives of diverse applicants in
our promotion and selection of NYSF program participants.
adheres to guidelines for ethical practice and auditing requirements.
supports intersectionality in our programming and participant selection.

We are not an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned and run organisation. We support the delivery of initiatives that support First Nations people and grow First Nations businesses. While the NYSF encourages and celebrates participation of First Nation students in our program, and continuously updates our program content to ensure we feature First Nation speakers and STEM, we do not seek to be a delivery-leader in this space; and rather we are committed to collaborating with and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and run organisations in the
STEM outreach sector.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 4: Drive and expand understanding of, and engagement with, the meaning and value of STEM in Australian culture and communities, including the benefits of diversity in STEM

We have suggestions to improve the impact of Recommendation 4a. We support
Recommendation 4b and Recommendation 4c.

NYSF would like to see the following point added in terms of what the campaign should focus on:

real-life stories, including the experiences of young people at multiple decision points.
real-life examples that demonstrate science and technology jobs as a real profession and
therefore a stable and secure pathway to impactful employment.

We understand the decisions that young people make when evaluating their career pathways. A campaign that is too glossy and too positive/hopeful can come across as fake. Young people need to overcome family and community expectations and the long-term perception of STEM careers as too hard, unstable, requiring travel overseas to succeed, and low pay meaning lack of support to stay in careers long term. With concerns of cost of living and climate anxiety, young people need to be part of marketing the viability of STEM careers in Australia.

The NYSF has access to many young Australians with nuanced and fresh opinions on the future of
STEM in Australia and what approaches can work in a campaign. We are in regular contact with our alumni and program participants and would welcome the opportunity to provide a range of diverse voices to forward this objective.

The NYSF has experience working with the Australian media and entertainment industry to celebrate diversity in STEM. Our participants are incredibly diverse and often willing to be spokespeople to influence diverse representation. This can be seen in our engagement with case studies for the STEM Equity Monitor, including by a non-binary participant.

The Superstars of STEM initiative, run by Science and Technology Australia, is a fantastic program to achieve objective 4, and captures STEM professionals in their early and established careers.

For inspiration at the earlier part of the STEM pipeline, with the potential to connect with and feed into the Superstars of STEM program, the NYSF has young Student Staff Leaders who provide inspiration and mentorship directly to students. They are potential ambassadors for STEM careers right at the key decision points of a student's pathway. continued...

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE continued from previous page...

Our latest offering, the NYSF National Youth STEM Summit, provides networking skills and opportunities for delegates to gain confidence and learn how to engage with Australia's key decision-makers across the STEM landscape. This event brings together many branches of the
STEM sector and gives the opportunity for young people to engage with and provide their voice to
Australia‘s decision-makers.

Up to 200 young Australians:
18-25-year-olds post-school
Undergraduate university students
Trade and technical trainees
Graduates
Very early career professionals

Federal and State Government representatives
Industry and University representatives
Key STEM-relevant professional bodies and learned academies
Leading STEM professionals and organisations (including senior NYSF Alumni)

NYSF programs:

continue to form meaningful partnerships with diverse cohorts and community-run
organisations. Speakers at NYSF are selected for the impactful work they do in the STEM
sector and we search widely and strategically for a diverse platform of speakers. We are aware
of the burden on underrepresented speakers in STEM to be approached only for discussions
about diversity, equity, and inclusion, so we ensure the main focus is on their expertise, unless
a speaker’s expertise is specifically in that space.
our marketing and promotion uses diverse imagery taken at our program and uses highly
inclusive language to highlight diverse stories of our participants, alumni and supporters.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 5: Empower schools and educators to teach STEM thinking and skills, and support pathways to STEM careers for diverse students.

We would like to provide emphasise to the opportunities supporting the 2022 National Teacher
Workforce Action Plan as part of Recommendation 5a. We support Recommendation 5b (though it is out of our scope).

NYSF would like to see an emphasis on the ongoing professional development funding and support for careers advisors to up-skill in STEM at all levels.

NYSF programs from Year 12 onwards currently attract a majority of students who already consider themselves ‘STEM people’. Within our program, we greatly expand the perception of
STEM and who is a ‘STEM person’.

We bring together like-minded peers – who have often been the only young woman in their STEM class; the only person interested in STEM at their school; or told that they wouldn’t be a good fit in
STEM for reasons including cultural, economic, gender, or perceived ability – which all have a profound effect on their belonging and future steps into a STEM career.

We know that we are missing students because they or their influencers do not see them as
‘STEM people’ and who self-select out of the STEM pipeline, despite being excellent candidates.

The professional development of careers advisors, especially those in areas of Australia without a visible STEM industry, will go a long way in showing the breadth of interest and experience that make someone a ‘STEM person’ and what real STEM jobs and pathways really look like.

We are keen to see an expansion of STEM perception in schools beyond high marks in a STEM subject, and instead reflect students with a variety of attributes.

We support the opportunity for access, availability and time for teachers to fully participate in
STEM professional development within acceptable workloads.

NYSF offers an ‘NYSF for Educators’ program that helps a wide range of educators discover the diverse STEM jobs and pathways available to their students. The program was piloted following an evaluation of schools and educators who are least likely to engage with science and technology programs. With an impressive range of digital content and live webinars, the program is perfect for educators in the most regional and remote parts of Australia. It does not require a science and technology background to engage with the content and hence is perfect for those educators in a supporting education role (e.g., career advisors). With increased funding, NYSF could increase the support we give educators to understand pathways in STEM and to be exposed to real STEM professionals and facilities (both in-person and online).

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 6: Strengthen perceptions of vocational education and training STEM courses and careers

We support Recommendation 6a.

While originally focused on the university pathways since 1984, NYSF programs now also target and promote VET-based STEM offerings. This builds on the National Careers Institute’s work to promote STEM‑related VET pathways and particularly directs young Australians into areas of national priority.

We seek greater collaboration and partnership with vocational education and training (VET) providers. Our current industry partnerships also help us communicate streamlined pathways to
STEM careers outside the university pathway and include communication on internships and apprenticeships and using case studies to challenge stereotypes around VET-trained roles.

Our programs champion interdisciplinary fields and mid-late career pivots from non-STEM roles into the STEM sector. The NYSF National Youth STEM Summit includes advice for students and trainees in non-STEM sector industries to make that change, highlighting transferable skillsets and non-traditional pathways.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 7: Build STEM workforce capability through industry training and diverse engagement

We support Recommendation 7a.
The NYSF delivers a domestic pipeline of Australian STEM talent.

To attract and support the most diverse cohort possible in the STEM workforce, development needs to start early. The NYSF pipeline starts with the NYSF STEM Explorer program for late primary to early secondary students, showcasing real jobs, people and industries early on to keep these students engaged in STEM.

Our programs align with the List of Critical Technologies in the National Interest (May 2023) and we can work with Jobs and Skills Councils to ensure relevant skill development.

Here are just a few examples of how we connect Australian youth with critical technologies.

Advanced Autonomous Biotechnologies
manufacturing and systems, robotics,
materials positioning, timing
technologies and sensing
Repairing composite materials with Studying autonomous systems with Producing vaccines with CSL Behring
the Australian Defence Force Data61, CSIRO Australia

Clean energy Quantum Artificial intelligence
generation and technologies (AI) technologies
storage technologies
Innovating advanced imaging
Developing photovoltaic technology Problem-solving using quantum systems including AI for healthcare
with the Australian Institute for computing with Quantum Brilliance with the Centre of Advanced
Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Pawsey Supercomputing Centre Imaging

...and advanced information and communication technologies.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Objective 8: Support pathways for diverse cohorts into university STEM education

We support Recommendation 8a, Recommendation 8b, and Recommendation 8c.

The NYSF connects young Australians with diverse STEM pathways, and part of this is ensuring that we can be confident in recommending the pathways we highlight.

The integrity of our mission relies not just on increasing enrolment of young Australians in STEM study and training, but in their retention in STEM courses and STEM careers over their lifespan.

We strongly agree with the recommendation to ensure study places are safe and inclusive through strong governance and accountability mechanisms.

The NYSF National Youth STEM Summit could further support the attraction and retention of diverse cohorts into STEM courses by highlighting alternative pathways into STEM courses and coating a stream of the Summit for these diverse cohorts with content and professional development offerings customised to their specific pathways.

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DIVERSITY IN STEM
REVIEW DRAFT
RECOMMENDATIONS:
DATA-DRIVEN CASE
STUDY
AND
QUALITATIVE CASE
STUDY
SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Data-driven case study - Five Years of the National Youth
Science Forum
Problems we address
Lack of access to economic and social resources/opportunities;
Lack of understanding of career options and real-life jobs in science and
technology;
Stereotypes;
Lack of role models.

Our measurable objectives are to
Increase access of diverse groups to programs/opportunities that support
pursuing STEM studies and careers;
Increase understanding of career and study options available in STEM,
including those in industry and non-traditional roles;
Increase the number of young people pursuing STEM study, training and
careers.

Key indicators
% of people - by gender, by diversity metric - accessing NYSF programs
(uptake of programs/opportunities);
Qualitative feedback on interest in STEM careers, interest in STEM study, and
student understanding of careers and study options in STEM.

Scale
Over the last five years, over 2,800 young Australians have taken part in the NYSF
Year 12 Program from all states and territories of Australia. The NYSF works with
Rotary and schools to reach students, families and regional communities.

In 2022, we conducted a survey of participants five years after they completed their NYSF Year 12 Program. 90% of respondents said that NYSF
STEM visits and field trips had a valuable to highly valuable contribution to
their subsequent studies and careers.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Results - Five Years of the National Youth Science Forum
Improved target audiences’ access to STEM | The NYSF Year 12 Program strategically encourages the inclusion of students who are not typically represented in science and technology to access the NYSF Year 12 Program, including women and girls, those from regional and remote areas, the LGBQA+ community, and First Nation communities. We are inclusive of people with disability and those who are neurodiverse.

In 2023, 61% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants identified as female and 2% identified
as gender diverse.
In 2023, 43% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants were from remote, regional, or rural
Australia.
In 2023, 2% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants were from First Nations communities.
In 2023, 48% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants attended public schools.
In 2023, 22% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants received an NYSF Access and Equity
Scholarship. Through an application process, funding was awarded based on need.
Following the program, 96% of 2023 NYSF Year 12 Program participants said they
planned to pursue further study in a STEM-related field.

Increased participation of target audiences in new STEM experiences | The NYSF Year 12
Program is diverse in not only our participants and experiences, but also in terms of the STEM content offered. Our audience includes participants who are new to STEM outside of a classroom experience – some experiencing STEM careers for the first time from communities with low STEM engagement or when expectations are to move away from a STEM environment. It is often the first time that they have seen real STEM jobs, met real people who do them, and had a chance to visit real STEM workplaces (including technical and industry sites) so they can see directly where STEM can take them and that there are a wide range of options in any one interest area.

97% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants answered ‘Yes’ to the question: Do you feel
that the NYSF presented a diverse Year 12 Program, with varied content from a range of
culturally and gender-diverse presenters?

Improved target audiences’ engagement with STEM, STEM skills, or pursuit of STEM studies and careers | In 2023, 200 STEM professionals were involved in 122 in-person visits around
Australia and 33 online sessions. Participants are expected to attend visits outside their current interest and comfort zone; this increases their understanding of career and study options and delivers more young people into diverse STEM study, training and careers.

In 2023, 80% of NYSF Year 12 Program participants said the program expanded their
options or changed their choices for study in STEM. 17% said it confirmed their choices.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

Ari Moloney attended the 2021 NYSF Year 12 Program and was a
Student Staff Leader in 2022 and 2023. They joined NYSF at a time
where they were not sure that there was a place for them in the STEM
community as a queer, trans person. Their experience at NYSF showed
them that they would be welcomed with open arms, and they have since
become a role model for younger queer students entering the world of
STEM.

This is Ari’s story.

Through NYSF, I got to see scientists from a diverse range of backgrounds speak about their experiences in STEM. I got to interact with them, ask them questions. I saw that there was a place for me in STEM, and that studying it beyond high school wouldn’t be the same as my previous experiences. I got a hands-on look at what university would be like, and I made more friends than
I’d ever had in one go in my entire life.

At social events, we were able to make friends with people who had similar interests to us.
Coming from a reasonably small school, I was the only one in my grade who was interested in
STEM at all, so the few friends I had in high school, I couldn’t relate to much.

At NYSF, having an interest in STEM was a prerequisite, so I not only found people just like me in that regard, but most of the friends I made were interested in not just STEM, but other things I liked as well.

I was not sure what to expect when I was accepted into NYSF. I’ve been on countless science programs before and they’ve been fun, but they all sort of blur together in my mind when I try to recall them. I was encouraged by my teacher to apply, and she made the claim that it would
“change my life”. I didn’t believe her at the time. By the end of year 11, I was very uncertain of what my future would look like. I was seriously disillusioned by the discrimination I had faced, both in and outside of the STEM community, as a trans and queer young person.

I am AFAB (assigned female at birth), so in spaces where I was out, I faced transphobia and homophobia, and in the spaces where I wasn’t, I faced intense misogyny from my male peers. I wasn’t sure if there was a place for me in science, and I was nervous to stake my entire future in it. NYSF to me was a last-ditch attempt at fitting in. I wasn’t expecting to find anything here, but it did change my life.

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SECURING AUSTRALIA'S
DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE

NYSF showed me that not only is there space in the STEM community for me as a queer, trans person, but that I would be welcomed with open arms. So many of the scientists and STEM professionals I heard from in my NYSF year were queer, and spoke openly about their own experiences with discrimination and being queer, and it gave me so much hope. There is a place for us in STEM, and NYSF showed me that.

Aside from the emotional and mental aspect of NYSF, it’s also impacted pretty much every aspect of my university study and career. I’m now in my second year, and almost every decision
I’ve made since starting university has been impacted by NYSF somehow. When I started university, I took a class (Science Communication) that many of the speakers at NYSF recommended that I probably wouldn’t have considered otherwise, and I loved it so much that I’m now majoring in it.

I am a more confident person because of NYSF. I would even go so far as to say I am who I am today because of NYSF. Applying for NYSF was the best decision I have ever made. I have lifelong friends and a community full of warm, accepting people who I can relate to, and who genuinely care.

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