Cobram Secondary College Year 9 student Abbie Milne (front centre) was one of 26 students across Australia to be selected for CSIRO’s Young Future Shapers program.
Photo by
Supplied
A Cobram Secondary College student’s first ever flight took her to a five-day camp in Adelaide for a CSIRO program, for which she was one of 26 in the country to be accepted.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Year 9 Abbie Milne was astonished when she found out she had been selected for the STEM-based program, called Young Future Shapers, in May.
“I was very shocked and amazed that I got into the program, and I was a bit in disbelief that I was picked,” she said.
“I was hoping to get in, but I didn’t have much hope that I would because it was a pretty big program that not a lot of people knew about, and it’s very surprising to get in.”
Young Future Shapers, open to Australian students in Years 5 to 10, forges opportunity for young people, who may not have the same access as other students, to explore STEM pathways.
CSIRO prioritises students who are girls, from lower opportunity and regional areas or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Straight Islander.
A beneficial aspect of the program is its ability to be personalised, with three streams on offer to accompany the 10 to 12 hours of virtual events, briefings and development activities held throughout the year.
Abbie opted to attend a camp in Adelaide at the Wiltja Boarding School, which ran from Monday, September 29 to Friday, October 3.
Her five days interstate were spent learning about virtual reality, AI, drones, and even how animals at the zoo could potentially inform future medical knowledge.
“I got to meet new people, which helped my communication skills, and I got to see how new technology could shape how we fix future problems,” Abbie said.
“Being on camp helped me look at more of the technological side of STEM. I thought it was more about science, but it helped me shape my mind into being more medical and technical about my future career path.
“It’s definitely shaped it in a big way and opened more opportunities for me.”
Abbie Milne’s first ever flight was from Melbourne to Adelaide for CSIRO’s Young Future Shapers five-day camp.
Photo by
Supplied
At the end of the year, Abbie will have the chance to join CSIRO’s Youth Reference Council to aid its Education and Outreach projects.
She also hopes to become a mentor for the 2026 program intake, further opening up pathways in her STEM journey.
Cobram Secondary College community engagement officer Anne-Marie Hindle said the program was a wonderful opportunity for students from schools based outside metro areas.
“Coming from regional Australia, you’re not exposed to a lot of equipment that they do have in these specialised places, so it’s great for you to see things like that,” she said.
“Our staff here at Cobram Secondary are quite keen to expose our students to opportunities like this so they can open doors, and open their eyes to what’s out there.”
Abbie, who said her science teacher George Allen heavily encouraged her to apply for the program, highly recommends Young Future Shapers to any fellow science enthusiasts.
“Give (the application) your hardest try and give it a go,” she said.
“You never know if you could get in or not, and it’s a great opportunity — I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like STEM and want a career in STEM.”
25°C