Kiara Taylor on rain, revenge playlists, and rethinking her future

On 8 September 2026, Milson Rotary was treated to a delightful and thoroughly entertaining report from Kiara Taylor, the student we sponsored to attend the 2026 Innovative Young Minds programme, known to everyone as IYM.

Kiara began by cheerfully admitting she is "not great at speaking in front of people," but from the moment she started, she had the room smiling. She had the club in stitches describing the week's weather, which she summed up as terrible, raining, then not raining for a second, then raining again. The group spent plenty of time outdoors, often soaked through, but always laughing.

One of the most charming parts of Kiara's talk was hearing how much the programme broadened her thinking. She had arrived at IYM planning to pursue dentistry, but after meeting a week's worth of passionate mentors and peers, she is now considering environmental engineering instead, especially once she learned it involves telling people whether their building is environmentally friendly.

Kiara spoke warmly about the friendships she formed over the week and the lively visit to Parliament, one of the programme highlights. She also told the story of the infamous 6am wake up calls, with Baby Shark blasted through the dorms every morning without fail. Her group eventually staged a hilarious revenge mission of their own, armed with the most annoying music they could find.

Kiara's enthusiasm, humour and gratitude made her presentation a genuine joy to hear. She thanked members warmly for sponsoring her, and it is clear the IYM experience has sparked new confidence and curiosity about her future path.

You can find out more about the programme at www.iym.org.nz.