She may have lived in Melbourne for less than half of her short life, but 12-year-old Claire McDaniel's knowledge of the city is so impressive she has been crowned this year's "Junior Lord Mayor".
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The year 6 student from Glen Iris, who attends Loreto Mandeville Hall in Toorak, was awarded the title on Wednesday by lord mayor Robert Doyle, who praised her knowledge of Melbourne.
Claire said she wanted to use the position to raise awareness of cyber safety.
"Knowing some cyber safety skills will be very helpful for the future," she said.
Cr Doyle said choosing a winner had been an exhaustive process but Claire stood out "because of her enthusiasm for Melbourne and her very, very good communication skills".
Claire, who was born in San Francisco, moved to Melbourne five years ago. She will raise the flag on Melbourne Day this weekend and assist the lord mayor in meetings and official duties.
Cr Doyle said Claire's winning answer was her response when asked, "What do you love most about Melbourne?"
Claire said it was the city's cultural diversity that stood out.
"And I think that [is represented] in its food," she said.
The city had "beautiful fusions of food like Italian and Thai, and that just creates something really wonderful".
