Max Ma Named Arcadia High Class of 2025 Valedictorian

(Max Ma, right, AHS Valedictorian with Principal Dr. Dillman, left, after the announcement)

ARCADIA– Max Ma was not expecting quite the shock he got just minutes after filing into the Arcadia Performing Arts Center with the rest of his class for the annual Senior Assembly. Students entered the hall, took a seat, and were immediately met by the prospect of the announcement that had been brewing in minds and buzzing in halls all day: the naming of the Arcadia High Class of 2025 Valedictorian. 

“The entire experience of me being called to the stage and getting handed the mic by Dr. Dillman…I don't remember it at all,” Ma recalled, as he discussed his surprise at being named Valedictorian. But, as someone who has kept the goal of being Valedictorian in the back of his mind, Ma shared that he is “honored to give back and try to dispel a message to future generations of Apaches.”

As he traced back his educational journey, Ma shared that some of his earliest and most impactful inspiration in Arcadia Unified came from his Math 7/8 teacher, Mr. Andy Chen, at First Avenue Middle School. He recounted how Chen always encouraged him to “think outside the box,” a lesson he kept dear to his heart as he continued to return to First Avenue every week as an instructor for the Arcadia Math Circles program. 

In addition to his very impressive academic resume, which includes all A’s and a pristine 4.0 GPA for his entire high school career, Ma has looked to his classmates for inspiration. He has always cited his peers in Arcadia Unified as his motivators: in his words, “in Arcadia, you can always find someone who's a master at anything.” He, too, has certainly developed his fair share of mastery during his time at Arcadia High; some of his many accolades include being the Co-Captain of Academic Decathlon, a Section Leader in Symphony Orchestra, a Varsity Member and National Qualifier in History Bowl, a U.S.A. Biology Olympiad (USABO) Semifinalist, and an American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME) Qualifier. Through collaboration with his peers in each of his organizations, Ma has been inspired to pursue his interdisciplinary passions without limits. 

Ma will be attending the University of California, Berkeley this fall, pursuing a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. His passion for biology grew throughout his years in Biology Olympiad, but with his love for political science and his perennial interest in math, he hopes to potentially pursue a double major, aiming to focus on continuing to “learn and expand.” 

Ultimately, Ma’s success comes from his “innate ability” to learn, as his AP US History Teacher and History Bowl Coach Mr. Paul Green put it, coupled with his enthusiastic attitude towards gaining knowledge. Green expressed that Ma has always been “affable, friendly, competitive (but not obnoxiously so),” and that he “loves to learn.” It’s the genuine love of learning that Ma hopes to inspire in his peers; as he puts it, “learning never ends,” and one’s reason and motive for learning always takes precedence over any accomplishment, even the title of Valedictorian. 

Ma, who attended Baldwin Stocker Elementary, will be giving his valedictorian speech at commencement on Thursday, June 5, at the historic Santa Anita Park. Nearly 800 students represent the Arcadia High Class of 2025. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m.