The wind carries the faint chirps of birdsong to the balcony. Crouching down, Victoria Ma (‘26) clips the leaves of her lemon tree before meticulously checking each yellow fruit. Gripping her shears, she moves indoors to pruning the plants of her fish tank, backlit by the sun. As shrimp dart in and out of the trailing greens, Victoria breathes in, content in this brief respite.

As a nature-lover, Victoria has set up a small balcony garden and multiple fish tanks, including a self-sufficient Walstad tank with dozens of aquatic plants acting as filters. She prides herself on her tanks, which nurture fish from tiny rasboras to shiny betas, along with an assortment of shrimp and snails.

“I don’t believe that nature depends on any external objects,” Victoria said. “I don’t really believe in filters because it’s supposed to be a perfect cycle. The system can work itself out no matter how small the environment is. To be able to create a cycle, a whole ecosystem that works in and of itself, regardless of anything external, that’s really meaningful to me.”

Victoria similarly embraces an unfiltered view of life in activities like Model UN, which she joined as a frosh. She loves the club because of its confrontational UN-style debates, wherein country representatives dispute real-world issues. Since then, she has served as the Secretary General for Model UN at Harker for two years. 

“I really like disagreement,” Victoria said. “I enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives and contradicting ideas. It’s very intellectually stimulating for me to see that I have my perspective, and you have yours. With both of our lived experiences and our country’s stances, how can we reach a compromise or a middle ground?”

English teacher Christopher Hurshman taught Victoria in his Honors English 2 class. He converses with her frequently when she drops into his classroom for chats and values her intellectual curiosity.

“She enjoys the experience of intellectual confrontation as a way of sharpening ideas,” Hurshman said. “Her first impulse is to express her honest opinions and to question people, to try to understand their perspectives, and she’s not afraid of that kind of questioning of herself either. I admire that she seems to want to understand herself and others more deeply.”

Through her tenure hosting delegates from across the Bay Area at the annual PanMUN conference, Victoria flourishes as a Model UN mentor for other students. She enjoys opening up difficult discussions as a leader, which she also facilitates as a member of the senior panel.

“I try to place an emphasis on creating a safe and welcoming environment for people to talk,” Victoria said. “Model UN is special because the premise is that you can say what you want and we’re not going to judge. I like that because as you think more about these issues you realize that there’s no right or wrong answer to politics. There’s no universal truth in the world. I like finding peace in that disagreement.”

Close friend Aanya Shah (‘26) met and befriended Victoria at the Harker welcome night when they both came into high school as new students in frosh year. She appreciates Victoria’s attention to detail as a friend, describing her as a person who takes the time to converse and bake shortbread cookies for birthdays.

“She’s definitely good at breaking the ice or just starting a very interesting conversation,” Aanya said. “She’s very supportive. She always has a very interesting take that’s funny to talk about but also shows her intelligence and insightfulness and pushes you to think deeper.”

English teacher Nikolai Slivka taught Victoria in his AP English Literature class. He recognizes her intensity regarding the lesson material.

“She has an approach to literature and to her school work more generally that combines the irreverence of a very independent thinker with someone who’s very disciplined and respectful of authority and tradition,” Slivka said. “She braids together in a very effective manner what in other people would be irreconcilable opposites.”

Whether pruning plants or directing classrooms full of UN delegates, Victoria leads with her uncensored self first. 

“The role of authenticity is very important to me,” Victoria said. “I really value letting nature run its course. In Model UN, I’m authentic to myself because I’m very direct. I believe you should not conform to what other people think. Everyone is an individual, and you should be comfortable with yourself at the individual level instead of trying to be comfortable at the social level.”