Catalyst Open Source Scholarships: empowering the next generation in tech

Sapir Ben-Shahar used the scholarship for her first three years at Victoria University of Wellington. She started her academic career studying mathematics, computer science and physics. Now, she is working on her thesis: ‘Topics in Computability’ and is soon starting her PhD in mathematics in the United States.

Sapir attended Catalyst’s Open Source Academy and Arduino workshops while she was in high school - both provide students with hands-on experience working with open source technologies.

She is drawn to complexity, creativity, and problem-solving and at a young age created HTML websites with CSS. The YouTube channel ‘3Blue1Brown’ was how she discovered the visual aspect of mathematics and the beauty of patterns and ideas.

For Sapir, the scholarship enabled her to take on a research opportunity one summer as it helped cover her living costs. From having hands-on research, it cemented that this was a field she wanted to pursue.

Her advice for other aspiring students is to “follow your curiosity and always ask questions.”

Jasmine Amohia used her scholarship for the first three years at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). She is in the last trimester of her honours year, majoring in software engineering with a minor in artificial intelligence (AI).

Jasmine began making websites with a friend from year six, enjoying learning CSS and making low-code creations. In high school, she studied digital technologies and was a technology prefect. She also took part in Catalyst’s Open Source Academy.

She shares that since the scholarship was in three instalments it helped with her budgeting. It went towards her living costs, which was a big stress relief while studying.

Jasmine is interested in the accessibility possibilities of AI. ‘Be My Eyes’ an app that connects blind and low vision users with sighted assistance through AI and videos broadened her ideas on what AI can do.

Her advice for students beginning their studies is to “stay organised”. As someone who prioritises a good life balance, she makes sure she’s on top of her workload. Her study hacks include:

• Make an assessment calendar with the due dates and weight of the grade.
• Create weekly to-do lists.
• Prepare for each class by reviewing content beforehand.
• Talk to people in your courses to connect and collaborate on coursework.

Hanan Fokkens used his scholarship for the first three years at the University of Canterbury. He is in his third year studying software engineering. He is also the club president for the University of Canterbury Computer Society (CompSoc) and helps host weekly events for students.

He shared that he made the most of the digital subjects available at high school and took three different digital subjects. When he finds the time, he works on polishing some of the development projects he started at school. He enjoys implementing what he's learning now in his old projects and often works with open source technologies.

For Hanan, the scholarship solidified that he was making the right decision to study software engineering. Plus, it enabled him to upgrade his laptop and support himself in a way he wouldn't have otherwise.

His advice is to “keep going with your studies even when it gets tough.”