Hailing from a regional town in Western Australia, Skye Wilson is a talented Year 10 student with a passion for human biology and helping those in need. Her Curious Minds story is one of women’s health, STEM outreach, and community connection.

Skye has always enjoyed science and physical education classes that “combine practical activities and theory about the human body and sport.” Her curiosity for human biology comes from both her love of sport and growing up with a mother working in the medical and healthcare industry. “My family and hobbies are what started my interest in STEM, particularly maths, engineering, and biology.”

“My mum is a nurse which ignited my passion for biology,” says Skye, and this helps her “learn more about myself and others.”

Motivated to further her interests in biology and expand her STEM skillset, Skye participated in the 2024-25 Curious Minds program. The program opened her eyes to the beautiful breadth of STEM opportunities around Australia. Her favourite part was the human anatomy excursion and “seeing all the different [career] options I have outside of my town.”

Another program highlight for Skye was her STEM exploration project, which focused on women’s reproductive health. “My project was on infertility and IVF. I found this interesting as IVF is a big part of the future.” Skye says that overall “I enjoyed the STEM exploration because it allowed me to research something that I normally wouldn’t.” She fully immersed herself in this project and loved it so much that she “went overboard with my research and struggled with cutting it down.”

The most compelling part of Skye’s Curious Minds journey was how she brought her newfound knowledge and skills back to her home town, and used them to lead a STEM outreach program for younger children.

Growing up in a regional area, Skye had limited access to STEM spaces and education, and she saw an opportunity to change this for others.

These disadvantages, along with her Curious Minds experiences, inspired her to run a series of workshops at her local (and only) primary school to encourage other regional kids to explore STEM “in a fun way.”

She ran two hour sessions of hands-on experiments for students in Years 1-6, including activities like creating foaming snowmen with water, using baking soda and vinegar to teach chemistry, and building bridges out of popsicle sticks to practice engineering and problem solving.

Skye even got the broader community on board. She rallied her family, primary school teachers, and local businesses to support her initiative and sponsor essential materials and prizes for the experiments. “It was a huge success” and has “sparked an interest” in Skye to further explore regional STEM outreach.

Skye is a level-headed person who handles challenges with grace and patience. She reminds anyone going through a rough patch to “take a step back, take a breath and assess your options. Don’t let your emotions or your initial reactions control what happens next.”

She credits her Curious Minds STEM Coach for helping her build this quiet confidence and sharpen her critical thinking skills, especially in a way that gave Skye the freedom to explore areas that piqued her interest.

“My STEM Coach was someone who supported and guided me on my decisions and didn’t force me to do something I didn’t want to do.”

Twelve months on from her Curious Minds journey, Skye is now studying at a boarding school in Perth and finding new ways to apply her skills in human biology. “I am also about to start my service hours for my school, helping people and animals in need.”

If the opportunity arises, Skye encourages other regional kids like her to consider boarding school too. “Since moving to boarding school I have realised how fortunate people are to be living in the city and how many opportunities they have.”

She also urges young people in a similar position to apply for the Curious Minds program. “For all the rural and regional girls out there, take this opportunity as there won’t be many. Learn to push yourself when no one else will.”

After high school, Skye plans to pursue a career in either physiotherapy or midwifery. “I love babies and think the human body is so fascinating.” She also hopes to show more young people that “academic success and a commitment to sport are fully compatible, especially for students in regional areas where sport is a massive part of our lives.” She sure has an exciting and impactful future ahead.

Thank you Skye for sharing your Curious Minds journey and inspiring fellow rural and regional students to explore STEM!

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Thank you to Isabel and Ella from Sci_Burst for the collaboration that helped deliver this insightful article.