On an overnight camp trip when she was nine, Angelin Ma ’26 lay beneath a velvet sky sprinkled with stars — and fell in love with the universe. The Milky Way shimmered above her, igniting a fascination that would guide her for years to come. She headed to the library, devouring books on planets and the Big Bang, eager to learn even more.

She pursued every opportunity to deepen her understanding of the cosmos — from summer programs in astronomy and astrophysics to class projects that allowed her to share her discoveries with classmates.

By her sophomore year, Angelin began drafting a children’s book she wished she’d had as a child, blending sketches and science to share her love of space. In her junior year, she enrolled in Honors Astronomy and began refining her story, adjusting her outline and illustrations, keeping her readers in mind at every step.

“I wanted to balance colorful pictures with text that makes scientific concepts and terminology accessible for elementary and middle school students,” shares Angelin.

While working on her book, she balanced a demanding course load and pursued a STEM Exploration diploma recognition in Pomfret’s Certificate Program. “The program helped me refine my concept, organize my thoughts, and reflect on why I love space so much,” she says.

After years of study, sketches, and revisions, Angelin brought her vision to life. At the end of her junior year, she published her children’s book, Oto Astro: Sky to Space. Each page features Dr. Oto Octopus, a cartoon astrophysicist wearing a graduation cap. The illustrations and images she processed during her astronomy class's astrophotography term, can also be found inside.

Her book is available in both English and Chinese and has received some recognition. At the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, Oto Astro received first place in the Young Adult Nonfiction category and second place in the New Author Nonfiction category. Recently, Angelin received a Moonbeam Children's Book Award gold medal in the Educational Activity Book category. “It’s exciting to be recognized for my first book and all of the hard work that went into it,” said Angelin.

Angelin hopes to inspire curiosity about the cosmos — one reader, and one starry night, at a time. “This picture book is my attempt to give that wonder back,” she writes in the book’s preface. “Over two years, I distilled some of astronomy’s biggest ideas into playful, luminous pages — so that readers can feel the universe before they learn to measure it. If even one child closes this book, steps outside, and tilts her head back in awe, it will have been worth it. May these pages guide you, as the stars once guided me, to look up and wonder.”
 

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