Former top scholar Mia Boothroyd (Class of 2019) has written to share an extraordinary academic and personal experience – one she hopes will inspire other Carmel students to aim high, follow their passions, and maybe even meet the Pope.

This year, Mia attended the prestigious Vatican Observatory Summer School (VOSS) in Albano/Castel Gandolfo, Italy, alongside 23 other astronomy students from 22 different countries. VOSS is hosted by the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest active astronomical institutions in the world, operated by Jesuit scientists and astronomers.

“It was such an amazing time – we learnt so much and met so many people from around the world,” Mia shared. The 2025 programme focused on new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope, covering topics like exoplanets, astrochemistry, and galactic phenomena. Outside of lectures, the group explored ancient ruins in Ostia Antica, visited monasteries in Subiaco, and walked the historic streets of Rome.

A highlight of the programme? “We were lucky enough to have an audience with the Pope… It was so amazing to meet him,” Mia wrote. The students were also granted special access to areas of the Vatican not usually open to tourists. “When I met the Pope, I told him I was going to send the photo to my school teachers, so I better keep my promise!”

Now beginning her PhD in Denmark, researching meteorites and planetary formation, Mia credits Carmel with helping ignite her love of science: “It was actually at Carmel I first learnt about the Vatican Observatory… without which I never would’ve known about VOSS!”

VOSS runs every two years (the next in 2027), and is open to students studying astronomy, physics, or mathematics at undergraduate or postgraduate level. To learn more, visit: Vatican Observatory Summer School

Mia closed her email with a message of gratitude and hope:
“I wanted to remember my teachers at Carmel who first taught me science – thank you! – and to share some of this joy with others. I hope in the future, a Carmel girl may attend VOSS again and have an amazing time in Italy too.”