October 16, 2017
What do you love about MPA?
From the beginning, MPA focuses on every part of learning—curiosity, creativity, and discovery. In Lower School, it’s letting you grow, giving you a solid foundation of asking questions, and experiencing new things. In Middle School, it’s learning how and why things work. There’s emphasis on independence and self-expression. In Upper School, it’s connecting the dots, learning to find deeper meaning and themes within all subjects. MPA has made me a thinker and a better human.
How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I know it’s okay to be me. I know that I can do what I set my mind to. I’m unstoppable because MPA has taught me to question, to think, and to care in every aspect of my life—academic and social.
If you have attended another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
MPA is my home. I started in PreK in 2005 (first PreK class).
What would you tell a family considering MPA?
It’s a great place for your kids to grow up—it feels safe. We are a community. And the classes are amazing with even more amazing teachers.
In what ways has MPA prepared you for life?
I was really shy and quiet when I started PreK. If I hadn’t have been at MPA all these years, I think I’d be the self-conscious, B student, at the back of the classroom who doesn’t know how to think independently or feel fearless in this big world of ours. However, because of MPA, I am still curious at 17. I love school. I can ask questions in class. I can talk to my teachers when I need help. I have smart and funny friends. I know I’ll do great things—this is the kind of philosophy MPA gives its students.
What do you dream for yourself in 20 years?
I’m a science kid and always have been! MPA nurtured that curiosity from the start. I want to attend college or university (maybe Emory in Atlanta, or the Claremont Colleges in southern California) and then embark on a dual M.D./Ph.D. I’d like to be a medical researcher at the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Or, maybe work in a pharmaceutical company. I want to work with other discovery-driven people.
Ling now attends Rice University in Houston, TX.
