Raine Dickinson, high-achieving North Hills student to attend Science School in Australia

Raine Dickinson, a junior at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., has recently made the community very proud by being accepted to the International Science School at the University of Sydney, Australia.

The international science program allows high school students to spend two weeks in Sydney participating in workshops and activities while learning from elite researchers.

The application process is highly selective. Because of North Hills staff member Barbara Foster, Dickinson attended a brunch event where she learned about Go for Launch!, a multi-day summer STEAM event hosted locally in Mars, Pennsylvania, by a nonprofit called Higher Orbits. Dickinson said, “We worked with a former astronaut and did STEAM activities all week, one of the days they mentioned the International Science School.”

Following the event, Dickinson decided to apply. To qualify, applicants must submit six essays, a letter of recommendation from a STEM teacher, a letter of recommendation from a non-STEM teacher, a letter from a friend and a letter from a parent/guardian. The application process is through Higher Orbits, rather than the International Science School program.

Dickinson is only one of five students from the United States — and one of 110 students globally — to be accepted into this summer’s program. Dickinson said her personal statements may have helped her earn the slot, especially her descriptions of mentoring younger children.

Dickinson said, “The connections I have with younger kids ... I have a bunch of kids who just look up to me ... I talked a lot about that, which might have gotten me in.”

Dickinson is highly involved in the North Hills School District. Holding leadership positions in multiple organizations, notably the North Hills Marching Band, Dickinson is considered to be a very well-rounded student. Dickinson expressed how her extracurricular activities have encouraged her to be more willing to stand out: “Definitely band,” she said, “because I wouldn’t have even applied, or I would have been really nervous to talk to people. I’m not scared to talk to people anymore, and I think that is because of marching band.”

While most North Hills students will spend the end of May relaxing, Dickinson will be preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime. The International Science School program officially runs from July 6 to 19, but Dickinson and the other U.S. students will fly to Sydney a few days earlier to adjust to the time difference and reduce jet lag.

When discussing what she is most excited about with the experience, Dickinson shared that she is looking forward to traveling and immersing herself in Sydney: “I’m excited to just actually get to go anywhere, because I haven’t been on a plane before or really been anywhere that wasn’t a band trip,” she said. "I’m just excited to get to explore Sydney.”

As well as exploring Sydney, Dickinson is eager to meet other students involved in the program, especially those who will be coming from places other than the United States: “They put us on teams when we’re over there; there are four other kids from the U.S. going,” she said. “They are putting us all on different teams, I’m excited for that — just to meet new people.”

Dickinson shared that while the experience is academic and science, technology, engineering, arts and math-based, there will be opportunities for students to explore and have a bit of freedom. “It’s pretty much a normal school day ... they have planned outings we can go on over the weekends. But if you get a group of kids together and you say you want to go do something, you just have to tell one of the adults,” Dickinson said.

It comes as no surprise that the North Hills School District and community find Dickinson’s acceptance to be a great honor. High school principal Kevin McKiernan commented: “The opportunities that our students have are outstanding and we’re happy to be able to provide students with opportunities to explore and grow in areas that eventually could lead them into their career field,” McKiernan said. “I’m excited for her as a representative of North Hills and our community to go and experience something that very few kids in the country have the opportunity to do.”

With Dickinson being an upcoming high school senior, she will soon be looking at post-graduation plans. Dickinson said that by being a part of the program, she has received acceptance and a scholarship to the University of Sydney. “I am probably going to do material science — physics and chemistry.” With the hope of one day, as she says, “do anything that ends up sounding cool.”

McKiernan mentions, “an amazing opportunity presented itself with the Go for Launch! program that came through Mrs. Foster, and our other Gifted Education teachers, and was brought to me.” McKiernan said that North Hills has had student groups attend events of this nature in the past, and “that’s the idea of these types of programs, spark some sort of interest for our kids to learn.”

While McKiernan shares that sometimes these programs lead to students realizing that “it’s not what they want to do,” but other times, “it’s something that really interests them and they want to pursue bigger and better things.”

Regardless of the outcome, the North Hills School District believes that these experiences are helpful to students in figuring out what they wish to do after graduating from high school.

McKiernan said, “Our vision and what we do here at the high school, is that in the four years you’re here is to help prepare you to be ready for whatever the path is that you’re going to go on for potentially the rest of your life — particularly your work life. That idea of providing opportunities for students that are going to help them become more career and college ready is really important.” In Dickinson’s case, “I don’t know if she’ll go into the field, but she definitely earned herself an opportunity that is, to be a bit cliche, ‘out of this world’ ... she took a leap and was able to earn that recognition to go to Australia, of all places.”

As she embarks on this upcoming journey and completes her time in high school, Dickinson has made her community very proud and is a shining example of what the North Hills School District has to offer.

About the Author

Caitlyn Vance is a 2024 graduate of North Hills High School. She currently attends the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism where she is majoring in journalism with a focus on strategic communication.

At North Hills, Caitlyn served as the website editor of The Arrowhead and was involved in the Drama Club, choir, marching band and French Club.

She is back in the North Hills this summer where she plans to work and spend time with family and friends. She will return to Ohio University for her sophomore year in the fall of 2025.

Follow her work on Instagram @caitlynvancejournalism.

 

 

 

 

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