Proud Wiradjuri woman Keely Perry recently graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) majoring in Plant Biotechnology.
In the short-term, Keely will be involved with a UQ School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability Kickstarter project analysing finger lime cultivar variations and storage options.
Longer-term, she aims to progress her Honours research projects, with the hope of submitting to become a PhD student.
Keely grew up in Longreach where she was High School captain in 2018 and worked part-time as a bakery supervisor and bartender.
During Year 12, she contacted CareerTrackers, which each year creates internship opportunities for hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
While enrolled at UQ, Keely completed internships with Origin Energy, Golder and Urban Utilities and became involved as a mentor and mentee with the CareerTrackers/CSIRO Young Indigenous Women in STEM Academy.
“I am passionate about the agricultural sector, particularly that of First Nations genetic resources and look forward to how my degree will let me explore that,” she said.
Keely recently attended a UQ Indigenous sashing ceremony to mark completion of her Honours degree.