This week, we had the pleasure of chatting with our Gaisce Youth Ambassador, Swasti Sahoo, about all things Gaisce, future plans, and the exciting projects she has been working on!
Swasti is a 17-year-old student from Adamstown Community College. Her interest in Gaisce began when our fantastic Development Officer, Ger Brady, visited her school and gave a talk about it. This kick-started Swasti’s Gaisce journey. Since then, she has completed both her Gaisce Bronze and Silver Awards and is an active Gaisce Youth Ambassador. She also is planning to pursue her Gaisce Gold soon!
Recently, Swasti has received nationwide recognition for her new invention, a glove that predicts seizures. She recounts getting the idea for her invention after her friend fainted before an exam. Since then, Swasti has presented her invention at both SciFest and Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, and has even met Taoiseach Micheál Martin to discuss her innovative product!
Working on the glove has helped Swasti find her core purpose, “to help the world,” and make a positive impact on people’s lives. Looking to the future, she is planning to roll out her invention in a low-cost, affordable, and accessible way. Excitingly, it has already been put forward for patent, and she hopes to commercialise it very soon.
When asked what advice she would give to young people as they decide on their future, she said, “Pick on every single loose thread” and take every opportunity that comes your way. For Swasti, Gaisce helped nurture this mindset within herself, helping to present young people with new opportunities, grow in different directions, and find a path that best suits you.
Believing in and nurturing young people and their talent is at the heart of Gaisce’s mission. We hope any young people reading this can feel inspired and motivated by hearing about Swasti’s amazing work and see the potential in themselves to do great things.
A huge well done to Swasti. We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see what your future holds!
