Two weeks ago, the Future Problem World Championships took place at Indiana University, Indiana. Representing Australia in the Community Problem Solving division were two teams, both from The Illawarra Grammar School: Coastal Safety Awareness and The Helping Hands. I am proud to be part of The Helping Hands along with Robbie Lavalle, Rhys Chieng, Isabella Carswell and Yasmin Matar. Our classmate, Chloe Mekisic, pursued the Coastal Safety Awareness project independently this year. 

We spent five days competing on campus at Indiana University, putting together a display and talking to evaluators and other competitors about our projects, as well as getting involved in a ‘swap meet’ with other students from around the world. On the final night, we attended a dance to celebrate the past five days. It was amazing to see a culmination of hundreds of other students’ hard work and dedication as well as their distinct passion for problem solving much like our own. 

In the days before the competition we had the opportunity to explore the capital of Indiana, Indianapolis. We visited the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, to learn more about this internationally renowned author’s inspiration for books such as Slaughterhouse Five and his personal history in the city. We also took a tour of the Indiana 500 Race Course and learnt about the rich history and traditions that surround the course itself and the famous race that takes place each year.

This trip was an extraordinary experience with so many memories made and I would especially like to thank Mrs Burton and Mr Gardiner for making this trip a possibility and for being such encouraging, supportive mentors throughout the competition.