Antoni Krupa

Medicine, Oxford University. 

Working on the STEM project with Mrs Kaur, helped build up a strong foundational understanding of research and project management that set me up for A-Levels and university also. I had to get packed lunch instead of fish and chips on Friday lunchtimes to make time for the project, but it was definitely worth it! I never thought that working on a project with friends would take me to national competitions all over the country and even allow us to present at an event held at the Houses of Parliament! It made me much more confident in what I could achieve.

My experiences gave me both personal skills and STEM skills that were useful in university applications and during my time at university. Even though the project I did doesn’t directly relate to my degree, I mentioned it in just about every interview I had.

The coding skills I acquired through my project made my GCSE computing so much easier. Having a solid basic understanding of the coding principle took most of the workload off when it mattered most. On a project like this, every week you get the chance to develop team management skills and scientific interest beyond what the school syllabus teaches you. It is invaluable and a weekly commitment means that it does not take a lifetime either.

Mrs Kaur has an infectious passion for science that has you wanting to learn about STEM, even when you are not feeling like it that day. She guided us through finding areas of STEM that interest us and was a constant source of support and inspiration. I owe a lot to Mrs Kaur. I wasn’t sure I could commit my time to a STEM project, but she convinced me to just give it a go.

Before I knew it, I was at several national competitions, achieving STEMM awards and gaining confidence to apply for higher education STEM-related courses. I don’t think I would’ve attempted anything like it without her support.