Her story
Mia is a grade 6 student in Queensland, Australia, and she cares about the environment. Properly cares, the kind of caring that turns into doing something about it.
It started with a school research project about four sea animals that look completely different yet are all disappearing for the same reasons: a sawfish, a hawksbill turtle, a hammerhead shark, and a tiny porpoise called the vaquita. The more she learned, the more she wanted other kids to know about it too, and everybody remembers a game they almost won far better than a fact sheet.
So Rockpool Arcade was born: little games about the natural world, built from her research. The dangers in the games are real. So is the good news at the end, because protecting these animals genuinely works, wherever people choose to do it.
Off duty, Mia can usually be found in eucalyptus territory. Which brings us to…
The koala department
Mia's favourite animal lives high in the treetops: the koala. Her favourite place to visit is the Daisy Hill Koala Centre, set in beautiful bushland in Daisy Hill Conservation Park near Brisbane.
Entry is free, it is open 10am to 4pm every day, and it is full of interactive displays about keeping koalas safe, plus resident koalas to meet. A very big shout out from Mia: if you are ever nearby, go. 💚
Visit the Koala Centre