Kirsty Garnarradj has an extra reason to be happy about graduating from high school.
The Year 12 student, from Gunbalanya in Arnhem Land, is the first girl in her family - and their community - ever to do so.
"I'm pretty happy, but my family was in tears when I told them," says Ms Garnarradj, one of 60 Aboriginal girls who completed Year 12 this year with the Role Models and Leaders Australia (RMLA) Academy.
RMLA is a mentoring program aimed at increasing the school retention rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls.
There are 12 academies across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and NSW.
More than 850 girls are enrolled in the program, which is funded through a mix of government and corporate funds.
Ms Garnarradj, whose community is about 300km east of Darwin, said while she's glad she took part in the program, there were some parts she wouldn't miss.
"The worst part was getting up for school at seven o'clock in the morning," she says alongside Christella Namundja, who also graduated through RMLA's Gunbalanya academy.
Ms Namundja says the program which provides one-on-one mentoring has inspired her to help others and her goal is to become a teacher.
Over the past three years the number of Year 12 girls enrolled in RMLA academies has almost doubled from 34 in 2010 to 60 in 2013.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, said the program works, but needs more government assistance.
"I think it's great that the corporate world is seeing it now has a responsibility in this area but I don't think we can let government off the hook," he told AAP in Sydney.
"The government actually has to support these things."
Ms Garnarradj said the experience meant she had important lessons to pass down to the next generation.
"I'll keep encouraging them and tell them what we've done, that it's important to go to school."
