Jaylin Otara Space Cadet to NASA

Jaylin George | 16 Years Old | Cook Island/Niuean | Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate

To me, STEM is about problem solving whether it be a big or small problem, or a big or small solution. It allows me to foster critical thinking, creativity, and innovation that I try to use in my everyday life. Being able to travel to new places with new people from my community is what I think I will enjoy the most. This camp will help me broaden my horizons, step out of my shell and explore new things I am not used to. It will allow me to showcase my own culture, where I come from and my family values to people of different backgrounds. It will also provide me with an opportunity to discover more about people from around the world and where they come from.

My family has instilled in me core values, and a strong work ethic which I intend to bring with me to this camp. Receiving this opportunity will make my parents proud and will take me one step closer to making their dreams become a reality. I intend to share the information I have learnt to my peers, the wider community and how my experience attending this camp influences my future career pathways. In the future, I plan to pursue a career as a Pacific woman in STEM to motivate, inspire and be a role model the younger generation in my community can look up to.