👋 hi, i'm audrey
I'm a high school student who's interested in exploring how we can fight climate change from all angles, whether that's research, policy, or the arts.
💪 what i've done
Take a look around to see where some of my work has been recognized! (P.S. click on photos to be taken to links of mentioned features)
Awarded the President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the US Environmental Protection Agency for implementation of sorting and composting program, click for link to feature on EPA Website
Received the Certificate of Congressional Recognition from United States Congresswoman Judy Chu for implementation of sorting and composting program
Awarded Scholastic Writing National Gold Medal for poem "Save Me a Plum," which explores themes of climate grief and collective action, in addition to 3 Gold Keys & 3 Honorable Mentions for other climate poetry, click for link to poem on Scholastic Gallery
Featured in a global news outlet by United Nations Correspondent Ephrem Kossaify for sorting and composting initiative in celebration of United Nations Day for pioneering implementation of sorting and composting program, click for link to article
Featured by Pasadena Star News Public Editor Larry Wilson in article "Larry Wilson: Young people, keeping politics local, can be the change" as a youth leader in the clean energy movement in Pasadena, click for link to article
No. 2 Orator in the Nation (NSDA, 2022), No. 1 in both Original Oratory and Declamation in California (CHSSA, 2022), Original Oratory Champion and 2nd Place in Declamation at Stanford Invitational
Highest-Ranked Finalist Mock Trial Team Internationally at Empire Leagues + MockOn Tournament of Champions, 3-Time Champion of International Mock Trial Tournament, 2nd at Columbia Invitational, 3rd at Yale Invitational, won 8 Outstanding Competitor Awards
🧐 my research
I've been working as an intern at the Caltech under Dr. Andrew Thompson, Director of Caltech's Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science, for the past three years. I've explored climate modeling solutions and observational data analysis to utilize science as another method to fight climate change. While advocacy and sustainability are very effective tools, I believe that we cannot stop the climate crisis without developing scientific breakthroughs that will help us counteract our emissions of greenhouse gases.I'm currently investigating the impact of sea ice thickness on under-ice light spectra and its consequences for phytoplankton communities and carbon export efficiency in the Southern Ocean. I plan to use the results of this project to update the ECCO-Darwin Earth Systems Model. In the past, I've also analyzed geostrophic events in the Southern Ocean, specifically upwelling and downwelling patterns influenced by the Ekman Transport to examine carbon sequestration changes.I truly hope that the results of my research can drive action and provide solutions to our climate crisis — until then, you can catch me tinkering with parameters on a climate model or tapping away on a Jupyter Notebook! (see my GitHub for more 😉)
🤝 what i do....in my free time?
I admit it...I'm a Chinese drama fan, but besides binging the occasional drama, here are some organizations/activities I've started/am a part of and what we've done! (P.S. click on photos to be taken to links of mentioned features)
Founded Sortify, an online platform to help schools start and manage their own sorting and composting programs, which has expanded to 76 schools across three school districts, click for link to Sortify website
Youngest Member of PASADENA100's Organizing Committee. Advocated by speaking at rallies, city council meetings, and writing Op-Eds to pass Resolution 9977, committing Pasadena to 100% carbon-free energy by 2030, click for link to PASADENA 100's Instagram
Co-founded the Youth Climate Action Network under the Climate Reality Project, an organization with 4.5 million global members, to connect 100+ student youth leaders across Southern California
Co-founded my high school's Climate Coalition, comprised of more than 25% our student body, which leads several climate initiatives including sorting and composting, clean energy (solar installation), and rewilding at my school
An avid orator, participating in Original Oratory and Declamation, ranked No 2. in the Nation in Original Oratory and No 1. in California in both Original Oratory and Declamation
Captain and Leading Prosecution and Defense Attorney and Witness of No. 1 Independent High School Mock Trial Team in the world for 3+ years, winning numerous international championships
📍 where i've spoken
Take a look around to see where I've spoken! (P.S. click on photos to be taken to links of mentioned features)
Keynote Speaker at LA Climate Week's Event Tomorrow, Together: Weaving LA’s Climate Future (2025), featured on LA Climate Week's Instagram
Speaker at Los Angeles Extreme Weather Hearing alongside United States Congresswoman Judy Chu and United States Congresswoman Laura Friedman (2025), featured in Pasadena Now
Speaker at United Nations Earth Day Celebration (2025), Featured on United Nations Association's Pasadena Instagram
Keynote speaker at PASADENA 100 Candlelight Vigil (2025) on the steps of Pasadena City Hall, featured on PASADENA 100's YouTube (see full speech in video)
Speaker at Climate Action Panel with Pasadena City Councilmembers and Los Angeles County Officers (2024), featured in Pasadena Now
Speaker at Rally for a Clean Green Pasadena (2022) on the steps of Pasadena City Hall, featured on Polytechnic School's website with video of speech
📂 what i've made
I believe that creative media is another powerful medium for climate action and personal expression, whether that's writing Op-Eds, poems, or short stories; painting art pieces that combine my passion for fighting climate change with my Asian identity in art; or even creating film works that have won competitions and helped organizations gain funding.You can view all of my creative works here.
Op-EdsOp-Ed Contributor to the Pasadena Star News“Audrey Ma: What scares me is different from what scares polluters” Pasadena Star News, December 7, 2024“Pasadena should be willing to spend whatever it takes to fight climate change,” Pasadena Star News, March 9, 2024
Creative Writing"Save Me a Plum" (poem), received a Scholastic Writing National Gold MedalLink to Scholastic Art and Writing National Medalists Gallery: https://www.artandwriting.org/gallery/01HGF33HF09V7FT97EN99T82B9Also received 3 Gold Keys and 4 Honorable Mentions for other writing, including poetry, critical essays, and short stories.
FilmClimate Science Video Series that won the United Nations Climate Video Challenge twice.Video for Rwanda Children highlighting the school's environmental initiatives to help gain funding visibility from NGOs.
💌 contact me
Let's connect, I'd love to be in touch! 😁