Introducing the 2022 ambassadors, who use maths everyday in their careers.

Mahalia Barnes

A professional Singer and Songwriter.

Mahalia passed on the positive perception of maths to her daughter Ruby by helping her understand the value of problem solving.

"I believe maths helps to stimulate our brains, the discipline it provides and problem solving nature of maths helps us in everyday life and is an essential part of my career in music”.

Mahalia uses mathematics in her career today especially when she performs on stage, from reading music to calculating the available space on stage, ensuring she has enough room for her performance. She also uses mathematics when planning her tours, factoring in budgets, travel and logistics.

Dan Reilly

A former contestant on The Block, now a certified builder.

Dan believes that mathematics is essential to be in the building industry and uses mathematics every day.

"Maths is so much more than numbers - it’s used every day in almost everything we do. Without a basic understanding of Maths, I never would have been as successful in my career. Things like working out angles, lengths and areas were essential on The Block. It’s Maths skills like these that make a career like mine in building and construction possible."

Dan is now a certified builder and began his career as a carpenter. He was a former contestant on The Block in 2012 with now wife Dani Wales.

Kai Sakakibara

Professional BMX rider, representing Australia.

Kai used mathematics in his BMX racing to calculate his speeds, time around the track and his jump angles, all of which are added up and factored into each ride.

"I had to calculate things in my head super-fast like velocity, timing, distance and position when I was representing Australia in BMX. I would have not been able to do this without Maths. I was always encouraged to make Maths a priority at home and it paid off on the track."

In 2020, Kai had a serious accident while riding which he is still recovering from. Now Kai uses mathematics to aid in his recovery to help him get better.

Maths ambassadors

Supported by 2020 ambassadors Eddie Woo, Kellie Hush and Steve Soloman, and 2021 ambassadors, Michael O'Loughlin, Professor Nalini Joshi and Dr Matt Agnew, the 2022 ambassadors will nurture positive perceptions of mathematics while helping students understand the value of mathematics in everyday life and their future careers.