Molly Steelhammer isn’t afraid of seeming offbeat, odd, or even nerdy.

In fact, this javelin-throwing Bend High School “mathlete” makes a point of embracing the out-of-the-ordinary. And she really doesn’t care who knows it.

“I’d be dancing awkwardly in the street if I felt like I needed to do it to be me,” Molly said. “I think people should do what makes them happy, no matter how it looks.”

Molly is a Bend High senior with eclectic talents. She’s been a tenacious mathlete for the past two years, participating in Central Oregon Community College’s High School Math Contest. Molly was nominated to represent Bend High at the event, which gathers some of the top math students from around Central Oregon.

Molly says that despite some people’s perceptions of being a mathlete, she’s never been afraid to admit how much of a “nerd” she is when it comes to crunching numbers. Her whole face lights up when she talks about the math competition.

“It’s a lot cooler than it sounds,” Molly said. “I get really into it. A lot of people don’t take it seriously, but every year I’m like, ‘I’m gonna win this.’ ”

Last year, Molly led the Bend High team to victory in the scavenger hunt portion of the math event, which challenges students to solve a series of math problems at different locations on campus.

Molly says she’s always loved math because of its definite answers.

“There’s no interpreting with it,” Molly said. “You don’t have to analyze it, or delve too deeply into it. It’s either yes or no.”

But although Molly is a fan of black-and-white facts,she also excels in other areas of study. She holds a 4.3 weighted GPA.

“She’s an exceptionally hard worker,” Jeff Anderson, Molly’s history teacher, said. “The most impressive thing is that she’s able to balance all these demands on her time so well.”

When Molly isn’t solving advanced math problems, she can be found out on the track. Molly is a varsity javelin thrower for her track team, and won a district title last year in the event. She has a goal this year of throwing a distance of 90 feet, up from her personal best of 82 feet, 4 inches.

Even though she works hard at the sport, the fun of hurling a pole across a field isn’t lost on her.

“When you’re doing it, you just feel super majestic,” Molly said. “I mean, who else gets to throw spears?”

“One of the things she always brings to class is a great sense of humor,” Anderson said. “She’s got a very quick wit.”

Outside of school and activities, Molly makes a point of staying busy. She works part-time as a waitress at Sunriver Brewing Co., a job that she says has taught her that we all make mistakes, and sometimes the only thing to do is laugh at them.

She also volunteers at Ponderosa Elementary School as a teacher’s aide. She likes expressing herself through clay sculpture. For fun, she studies a variety of languages, including Japanese, French and Spanish. She has a love for Korean pop music that has grown into an obsession with Korean culture itself. One day, she hopes to do an exchange program in South Korea.

Next year, she’ll attend the University of Oregon, where she will study math. Although she doesn’t know what career she wants to pursue, she has a clear idea of where she wants to live.

“I know I have to be in a big city,” Molly said. “Because even when you’re sitting alone in an apartment, there’s so much going on around you. You feel like you’re really out in the world.”

Molly Steelhammer

Bend High School senior

Age: 18

Favorite Movie: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Spirited Away”

Favorite TV Show: “The Big Bang Theory,” “Steins Gate”

Favorite Books: “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” by Ishmael Beah

Favorite Music: Blue Scholars, Common Market, Beyonce