Ashka Shah, from Jericho High School, is the only Long Island student to make it to the final round in the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition.

The high school senior is now one of 40 finalists in the oldest and most prestigious science competition in the country.

"It's not necessarily that they're running the science club at their high school, or that they've cured cancer at age 17, we don't expect that, but that someday you might because you're showing signs of leadership," said Allie Stifel, with the Society for Science.

Ashka chose to research how a mutant protein drives the growth of cancer cells and how to block this interaction with healthy cells.

"When I found that it was so prevalent in cancers and disorders, yet not only under-studied but we don't know how to selectively inhibit it yet," she said.

Only 17 years old, she is hoping her work will one day lead to a cure.

The next stop for Ashka is Washington, D.C., where she will be participating in a week-long competition with the other finalists all be competing for nearly $2 million in awards.

All 40 finalists in the Regeneron science competition receive a prize of $25,000.