My name is Stanisław Bektaş, I come from Poland, and I have been studying at the International of Schaffhausen since August 2023. I am currently pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and will graduate in 2025. 

I discovered my passion for the natural sciences, especially chemistry, at a very young age. I remember being fascinated by such experiments as the reaction of a piece of alkali metal with water or the creation of “elephant toothpaste.” In order to understand how such chemical processes occur, I systematically deepened my knowledge of chemistry. The extraordinary magic hidden in seemingly simple chemical processes makes chemistry my greatest passion to this day. Having participated in several nationwide chemistry competitions in Poland, I decided to further deepen my knowledge of chemistry through participation in the 2023–2024 edition of the Swiss Chemistry Olympiad.

The Swiss Chemistry Olympiad is the most prestigious and advanced chemistry competition in the country. This year, nearly 700 students took part in this three-stage competition, with only 18 of them advancing to the final round, which took place in April 2024. 

In the final round of the competition that took place throughout the first week of April, I completed both theoretical and practical exams. During those several days, I was required to complete practical tasks such as the synthesis of certain organic compounds as well as qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Theoretical tasks spanned across organic, physical, inorganic, and quantum chemistry, and the topics covered in the questions were at the level of a bachelor chemistry course. Upon successful completion of all the challenges, I was awarded the gold medal as one of the four winners of the Olympiad. This means that I will be a part of the Swiss team for the International Chemistry Olympiad taking place in July 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is the greatest achievement a young chemist could dream of.