Clara Ma

Clara Ma is a high school sophomore in Lenexa, Kan. She enjoys reading, writing, playing the piano, tennis and looking at the stars. In 2009, Clara won an essay contest to name NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover. The name she chose was ‘Curiosity.’Clara has volunteered on a presidential campaign, at a recycling center, and is currently a member of the Rachel Alexandra Girls Grant Project which aims to better the lives of young women in the area by granting money towards organizations that promote education in economic self-sufficiency. She is a leader in her school's Environmental Club which in fall of 2012 inaugurated the first composting program to be implemented in a district high school.Clara’s parents immigrated to the United States from the People’s Republic of China in 1996. She travels to China every other year to visit her aunts, uncles, and grandparents whom she loves with all her heart. The motto of her state is ad astra per aspera, meaning "to the stars through difficulties." She follows it ardently.