By Stephanie Smarrelli
NSW defender Yasmeen Janschek springs into life on the netball court but one day she hopes to spring into space.
No, not space on the court.
Space as in SPACE.
The defender is studying astrophysics at university as well as physics and maths.
“They’re difficult subjects, sometimes I wonder why I’ve chosen this,” Janschek said.
“But I really love it, every time I go and learn something new it's really cool even when it’s hard to understand."
She knows becoming an astronaut is no easy feat but she’s aiming for the stars while having a few other options in mind.
Yasmeen Janschek hopes to one day go to space. “The astrophysical research side would be really cool learning new insights and helping with new discoveries,” she said.
“From a young age I always wanted to be an astronaut.
“I don't know if I'll actually go to space, but it would be cool.
“Australia isn’t up there as world-leading in the space race but there’s lots of opportunities that can come from studying different fields.”
In her down time, Yasmeen enjoys relaxing by picking up a good book.
“I’ll read anything, I love it,” she said.
“Going to the beach with my friends, having a swim, writing poetry and reading are my favourite things to do when I need to step away from netball and studying.”
Away from the court Janschek loves to read.Her top book at the moment?
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
“It’s about a woman in the chemistry field in the 1960s trying to break free of the stereotypes put on her as a housewife,” she said.
“She’s really obsessed with chemistry, and such an interesting character who I really identified with.”
Studying in the field she does, Janschek is often one of the only women in the room, the opposite from what she finds at her local netball courts.
“Us girls stick together,” she said.
“That's a really nice part of it but when I go into a new space, I get a bit nervous because I always think I'm going to be one of the only girls there.
"We do work with the guys but there’s a special connection being the only women in the room.
“We’re pushing for more women in STEM.”
Janschek knows what it's like to be one of the only women in the room. In her personal life there’s one key figure Janschek looks up to.
“My grandma on my Iraqi side of the family, we call her Bibi,” she said.
“Bibi’s incredible and funny but has endured so much coming from Iraq.
“She's the happiest person, every time I see her, she makes me feel so happy.
“She very strong and fiery but we love her and she comes to watch all my games whether I’m playing netball or footy.”
The defender recalls one netball tournament in particular when she was 15 and how special it was to have her grandmother cheering her on.
“She always says to me to be strong, focus on strength and to never ever let anyone get you down,” she said.
Janschek is most inspired by her grandmother Bibi.“When I think of special memories, I think of her and remember sometimes you lose, sometimes you make a mistake but when I see her I know to move past that to be strong and keep pushing.”
Janschek’s netball career hasn’t been a breeze, the defender having to watch her friends be selected for the National Netball Championships ahead of her.
“I didn't really think too much about the netball pathway up until that point,” she said.
“I tried for the team to see what would happen the first year but then a few of my friends made it and I felt like I was missing out.
"I really wanted to make it the next year because I would see them training and wanted to be in that team.
“Putting in the hard work and being selected every year since has been the best feeling."
