Nikita for NZ: 2015 International Biology Olympiad

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Hi. I am Nikita Lyons. I am a 16-year old student and I have been selected to represent New Zealand at the International Biology Olympiad. This is awesome!! To be selected to represent one’s country is one of the highest honours one can receive!

I am so proud to have this opportunity to compete for my country against the top students from around the world. The 2015 IBO is being held in Denmark from 12th to 19th July.

I’ve worked hard and gone through a rigorous process to be selected as one of the team of four.

Last year I sat the NZ International Biology Olympiad (NZIBO) national entrance exam. I was excited to be placed in the top 200 students. We immediately began a six month online training programme. During the school terms I spent around two hours per week working on the tutorials and over the Christmas school holidays at least four hours a week.

This is hard work! During the school term I leave home by 6:50am each morning and get home around 5.30pm in the evenings. After doing homework, Biology Olympiad study, and looking after my pets, any spare time I find is quickly taken up with Kung Fu and Equestrian training. Weekends are for catching up on Homework, Biology study, and competing my Pony – No wonder my parents complain I’m always too busy for them!

I sat the selection exam for the NZIBO Training camp on 24th of February. Shock, horror, disbelief – I was one of the top 30 and invited to attend the NZIBO camp! I was gobsmacked, but how was I going to pay the participation fee? – Huge thanks to Mt. Pirongia Lions, Te Awamutu Altrusa and Kihikihi Rotary Clubs who chipped in and got me there.

I turned 16 on the 16th April 2015 and it was that evening I got the call to say I was one of the four to make the New Zealand Team – WOW - what an amazing sweet 16th birthday present! “CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO REPRESENT NEW ZEALAND”. I can’t put into words the emotions my family and I had, except to say there was a lot of yelling and dancing and pinching of one another.

Which leads me to the now – the reality of finding funds whilst still keeping up with the tight schedule I have and which now includes even more intensive biology study.

Each of the four team members is required to contribute $5000 each. To raise this, I am selling bags of Pony Poo at our gate, and swan plant seeds sourced from my family’s garden at $5 for 70 seeds. The seeds can be purchased by emailing me at Nikita2IBO@outlook.co.nz I also have a TradeMe account and a stall at the Pirongia Monthly Market on May 31st where I will be selling the seeds, seedlings and whatever I can. Nikita2ibo is the TradeMe user – Save me as a favourite to keep an eye on what’s on offer. Thanks for the support TradeMe.

I am also asking for your help. It may be by way of goods or services I can on-sell, finance, words of support, or spreading the word! - It could only take $1 from 5000 people or 1000 people donating $5 each to allow me the privilege to represent New Zealand. So please share this with as many people as you can. You never know, it may even spark the interest of another student who might go on to win GOLD for New Zealand at another Biology Olympiad in future years!

PLEASE GIVE ME THE HONOUR OF REPRESENTING NEW ZEALAND AND THE CHANCE TO BRING HOME A MEDAL

Further information about the NZIBO and IBO can be found on the following pages.

www.nzibo.org

www.facebook.com/NZBiologyOlympiad

http://ibo2015.org/

https://www.facebook.com/IBO2015