Newton Moore Senior High School - Year 9 student Lara Riley has taken her love of mathematics to new heights.
Lara was recently given the 2018 CSIRO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Maths Award for her achievements in the field.
Lara received the award during an official ceremony on Wednesday, March 27.
She has displayed "passion and engagement for maths", whilst demonstrating how maths can be used to solve real-world problems.
Last year saw Lara and several Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics students construct and test hand-cranked phone chargers.
She created a video about bacterial growth, before submitting it for the ChooseMaths Awards.
"It's surprising, but it feels pretty good to win the award," Lara said.
"Maths is really fun and it provides good opportunities...there's always a solution to a question."
Lara currently balances school work with football. The student is looking forward to completing a traineeship in engineering.
Newton Moore Senior High School head of mathematics Ashley Stewart said Lara was selected for her willingness to learn.
"Lara is involved in everything, and she's always keen to try something new," she said.
"She continually comes to me with ideas.
"I nominated her for the award because she's really keen to explore mathematics. I really hope she explores engineering further."
Ms Stewart said STEM subjects helped students to explore a range of important pathways.
"My focus is based on getting more girls - aboriginal girls, especially - interested in STEM subjects," she said.
"If we don't have students doing STEM subjects now, then we won't have many later on."
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