Last weekend, Head Student Finn McKinley was recently lucky enough to be selected from close to 100 applicants to be a part of ten Year 12 and 13 students who attended the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand’s yearly conference in Nelson as part of the Students With A Passion for Astronomy (SWAPA) program. This meant getting fully funded travel and accommodation, spending Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday at the conference venue listening to many talks from top Astronomers. Read about Finn's experience below:I found it was an incredible experience to learn from the best about their research, ask questions about what they do for a living and how they got into the field as well as develop my knowledge for a field of science I am passionate about. I got to learn an incredible amount of knowledge from every aspect of astronomy - from cosmology to space tourism and biology in space. And I even got the chance to do a short presentation about me and my interests in astronomy. I also got the chance to interact with a group of like-minded people who are also looking at pursuing similar careers to me, whom I will likely see at university next year and were amazing to talk to. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and would recommend any of next years yr 12 & 13 students that have any interest in astronomy or space to apply next year. Finn McKinley,Head Student