Although she already had a bachelor's degree, Naogan Ma left China in 1979 to accept a full scholarship at Wesleyan University to get a second BA degree. “My original plan when I left China was to really learn English and learn literature so I could go home and teach it to the Chinese,” she said. “But then my daughter was born, our number one concern was how do we provide the best education and life for her.” She and her husband began looking at towns where the schools were good and where they were “not going to look strange” because of their language or physical appearance. They first rented a home in Farmington, but found that everything they did was in West Hartford and so eventually, they moved here. “We figured this was the right place,” Ma said. 

What she said she liked most about town was the schools. Her children took advantage of the music programs that “were absolutely wonderful” as well as other extracurricular activities.

“We felt very safe… We know all our neighbors. There’s a sense of stability in our neighborhood. There’s a sense of community being built one neighborhood at a time,” she said.

As imigrants, “the diversity of West Hartford makes us feel we are one of everyone else. I’m not constantly aware of my skin color or the fact that I am not a native speaker.”

She said when her daughter graduated Conard High School and her son was entering middle school, it was a turning point in her life. She no longer felt she should go home, because she was already home.

She got involved in politics because “I feel I owe something to this town. I owe the school system. I owe the teachers.” Volunteering to serve as an elected official was a way to give back, she said. So she contacted both parties. The Republicans called her back. While she understood the differences between the parties on a national level, locally, she didn’t think it was that important. “I just didn’t understand the gap. There is actually a definite division between Democrats and Republicans.” Still, she campaigned. “I just wanted to serve. I wanted to give back,” she said. But she did not win. Republicans said they would appoint her to fill a vacancy in 2002 if she would run again when the term was up in 2003. She agreed, but again lost her bid. When she offered to fill another vacancy, she said she was told she wasn’t “Republican enough.”

“It was very much of a window dressing. They really didn’t believe what they said about wanting to diversify the government,” Ma said. So, she began working for the Democrats. She also continued other volunteer work, including PTO officer positions and tutoring inner city students.

When the Democrats agreed to put her on the ballot, she said, “I received overwhelming support. I feel much more comfortable. I am myself. I’m energized. I’m getting a lot of positive feedback from voters.”

If elected, her first priority will be the racial balance issue. “I went through this with my daughter. The plan of the redistricting in the early ‘90s was the Sheff vs. O’Neil case. There was a plan about redistricting West Hartford schools and I remember going to meetings. Parents were very upset. There was not a townwide redistricting and my daughter stayed at Morley.

“Busing kids based on their skin color and redistricting is never a good thing, not for racial balancing purposes. We should not disturb our neighborhood schools. Neighborhood schools build community.”

Speaking of her second priority, Ma said, “It’s tough when money is tight.” While there is a lot of talk about the need to make cuts, “we have to be able to protect the vital programs where learning is not going to be disrupted. If we’re going to cut any program for reading or writing, I’d be very worried.” Class size and student-teacher ratios are also important factors, she said. 

Thirdly, she wants to be sure students are prepared to compete globally. “We have to give them the tools to be competitive globally. Are we teaching enough language? Do we have enough technology? We have to look 10 years down the road.”

Asked what skills she would bring to the board, she said, “I think there’s a voice that’s missing. To be your children’s advocate is a mission. Other parents need the tools to know how to help their children get a good education and I think I can provide some ideas.”

In addition, “I’ve been a teacher for all these years,” Ma said. “I’d like to bring my perspective on delivering the content of curriculum in a diverse environment. I have students in my classes who are from private school, public school, students who are slow learners. I think West Hartford faces similar issues. We have students from all over the world.”