A week on Antarctica's frozen frontier has reshaped how a Gqeberha school pupil thinks about engineering, climate change and his future. Seventeen-year-old Luke Boswell was one of just five South African students selected for a rare Deep Field Antarctica expedition - an experience designed to turn young talent into practical environmental problem-solvers.

When seventeen-year-old Luke Boswell landed in Antarctica's Deep Field, he expected cold. What he didn't expect was the scale of the wilderness - endless ice stretching in every direction - and the way it would change how he thinks about the environment and his future.

Boswell said that he had always cared about the environment, but maybe "not enough". Seeing Antarctica's pristine wilderness and learning how quickly it could change made it impossible not to care, he said.

The Pearson High School pupil from Gqeberha was one of just five South Africans selected for the prestigious Students in Antarctica programme in December last year, an experience designed to turn curiosity into practical action.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

The cohort included Aaminah Choonara of Lenasia Muslim School, Allegra du Randt of Thomas More College, Naethan Mol of Bishops Diocesan College, and Ntokozo Nkuna of the Khanyisa Education Centre.

A programme designed to inspire change

The programme is the brainchild of adventurer and environmentalist Riaan Manser, who has spent the past six years taking five South African students at a time to the frozen continent.

Convinced that inspiring and equipping young people can spark real change, Manser has shaped a programme unlike any other. While most...