Waila Otara Space Cadet to NASA

Waila Michan Khel | 17 Years Old | Afghanistan | Massey University

I am an Afghan migrant refugee who has been living in Otara for most of my young life with my single mum and 3 siblings. Life has been super difficult and I have witnessed many things that no young person should experience living in Pakistan. It has been a blessing for my family to come to NZ.

I am interested in STEM especially science and technology and am always curious about how things work. Attending this space camp is an incredible opportunity to go beyond the classroom and really be immersed in all things STEM on a grand scale. Holding onto my aspirations and not giving up, especially when it came to pursuing studies in the health sector has been a challenge for me. I've had to go through a lot in the past year, it's been hard, real hard and recently I made some huge sacrifices in my attempt to do further studies working towards a career pathway in the health & the medical space. This opportunity would provide me the extra motivation and encouragement to keep going.

Attending this year's space camp would be an incredible opportunity for me to be exposed to other opportunities within STEM, to be inspired and to especially build new friendships and connections with other young people who have similar interests like me.