Arlo Taylor is a boy with the mind of a genius and the heart of a rock star.
The 12-year-old's academic prowess was apparent from a very young age and he has already started studying at university.
But covering Arlo's razor-sharp mind is a mane of long orange locks, an apt haircut for a boy who loves shredding his electric guitar and listening to Silverchair.
"If you like doing something and have fun doing it, just pursue that and pursue your dreams," Arlo said.
Arlo was born understanding maths unlike anyone else in our household.
- Julie Taylor
Arlo is in grade 8 at Marist Regional College but he's already completed his first year of pure mathematics at the University of New England.
His academic performance was so outstanding he won the School Prizes in Mathematics and Computer Science for "the most distinguished results".
Arlo is humble about his academic aptitude.
"I just really like these things," he said.
But his mother Julie Taylor is bewildered by Arlo's talent.
"Arlo was born understanding maths unlike anyone else in our household," she said.
"We don't know where he gets it from or how he does it really but he just seems to find it easy."
But Mrs Taylor said Arlo was just like any other 12-year-old boy "apart from these exceptional talents".
"He plays electric guitar, loves bands like The Offspring and Metallica, is a whiz on the Rubik's Cube and enjoys hanging out with his sister Eve," she said.
Mrs Taylor said Arlo would not have been able to obtain such amazing achievements without the strong support of the staff at Marist Regional College and his primary school St Brigid's.
"From early primary school it became clear that Arlo needed to move at a different pace to the other kids in his class in maths and science," she said.
"St Brigid's were incredibly supportive and thanks to their flexibility and eagerness to meet his needs, Arlo completed his grade 12 maths and science curriculum at the same time as he finished grade 6."
Arlo said he also wanted to thank his parents.
"They've always been there and supported me and helped me to achieve my goals," he said.
Arlo wants to continue his university studies and complete his honours after he leaves Marist Regional College.
He's not certain about his future but he is interested in a career in academia or solving problems.
"I like what I'm doing and yeah, it's pretty fun," he said.