Stefan Ivanov
Stefan will travel together with three other students who will represent New Zealand at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Slovakia and Czech Republic.
I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and at the age of five moved to New Zealand. I attend Westlake Boys High school located in Auckland, and am following the CIE (Cambridge International Pathway).
I like reading and learning about science whether it be chemistry, biology or physics, but I enjoy chemistry most of all and I'm continuously searching to understand deeper topics and concepts in chemistry.
I play football, badminton and tennis, but by far I am a football fanatic and with the World Cup taking place currently, it's like Christmas has come early for me. In my free time, you will find me either playing football, hanging out with my brothers or casually reading about chemistry or the brain.
In the future I hope to study medicine at the University of Auckland. This passion to study medicine has arisen from my participation in the New Zealand Brain Bee challenge, a neuroscience competition in which I represented New Zealand overseas in Washington D.C in 2017 at the International Brain Bee Championship. Through this competition, I studied neuroscience for two years, which involved studying about the brain: the brains histological, anatomical, and functional correlations as well as an intensive study of neurological disorders, and the clinical diagnosis of such disorders with patients.
I have just been selected to represent New Zealand at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2018 in Bratislava, Slovakia and Prague, Czech Republic in July. This is an annual competition for the world’s most talented chemistry students at the secondary school level. Nations around the world send a team of four students who are tested on their chemistry knowledge and skills in a five-hour laboratory practical and five-hour written theoretical examination that are held on separate days.
Preparation for the International Chemistry Olympiad demands a high level of understanding and interest in chemistry and an outstanding ability to relate chemical subjects with one another as well as with the practical world. I am really looking forward to competing at this competition.