In only a year and some change, Renate Ma has proven herself to be an integral part of the 2018 senior class. Even with her quiet personality, Renate’s exemplary grades and big heart have made her stand out against the crowd. Renate pushes herself everyday, taking a challenging course load of all APs. This year alone she is taking AP Art, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP Stats, AP United States History, and AP Government, a schedule that could tear any student to shreds, unless you are Renate. Outstanding performance in every class has earned Renate a spot in Rocky Mount Academy’s National Honors Society! However, her powerful presence at school is not only limited to the classroom as Renate participates in school clubs such as Key Club, Rocky Mount Anatomy, and Academy Rescue Foundation. Renate’s participation in ARF comes from her love for all animals, but her favorite animal is a cat! One of her favorite things to do is take naps with her cat, which every busy senior needs. Renate would have several cats in the house if Tess, her one cat, wasn’t as sassy and territorial as she is (and if her parents would let her!).  After rejuvenating naps with her cat, Renate loves to dance, showing that she is talented across the board. As an incredibly well-rounded student with a passionate heart, Renate truly represents the values of her RMA family!

Please read below to learn more about Renate!

1. What colleges have you applied to so far? Out of those, which is your first choice? I have applied to Duke University and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. I am still working on my application to Wake Forest University, Cornell University, Brown University, and college of William and Mary. Out of these schools my first choice would be Duke University.
2. If you had to choose one movie to watch for the rest of you life, what would it be? If I had to choose one movie to watch for the rest of my life it would probably be Inception.
3. I hear you’re a very good dancer. What type of dancing do you do? What inspired your love for dance? I do love to dance very much. I do ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballroom, and tap. Dance kind of just happened for me; I really liked to how it looked and asked my mom to enroll me into a dance class. I tried different things along the way, but I always came back to it. Ballet and contemporary are my favorite styles of dance.
4. What is your favorite RMA memory? My favorite RMA memory is when my calculus class went to Cracker Barrel and Dunkin Donuts. I also liked going to Pizza Inn with my science Olympiad group.
5. What do you want to major in/what is your dream job? I am not sure what I want to major in yet, but I do want it to be something along the lines of psychology or something in the humanities field. I want to be a doctor of some sort, but I haven’t figured out what kind yet. Also, I want to either teach dance or open my own cat cafe on the side.
6. What is your favorite lunch destination? My favorite lunch destination is Zaxby’s, but I rarely go there during long lunch because it’s a bit far. My favorite thing to do on half days is to go to Zaxby’s for lunch and go home and take a nap with my cat.

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Honestly, I want to go everywhere. I like traveling and seeing different things.
2. What is the most eventful experience you have had at a fast fast food restaurant, such as Bojangle’s? (This question was suggested by a fellow member of the Media Office who was with Renate during this event!) Well, I saw someone get arrested at Bojangles. There were two cops on each side of the man holding on to him. They tried to get him out of the restaurant, but the man wouldn’t move. Eventually, they got outside and the man got cuffed. Some more police cars come when I was leaving the restaurant.
3. What is your favorite class you have taken at RMA? It’s so hard to pick a favorite because I liked most of my classes. I really like calculus, chemistry, English, biology, and art.
4. What advice do you have for underclassmen? My advice for underclassmen is to always set your goals higher than you think you can achieve and work hard for it. You might be pleasantly surprised.