Yok Chai Ma and Emma Ngo are thankful for their respective families.

Both credit their parents and siblings for providing the inspiration for their successes in this chapter of their young lives.

The two Manteca High seniors were recently announced as valedictorian (Ma)  and salutatorian (Ngo) – the highest academic honor at the school – for the Class of 2025.

“My (three) brothers did great things when they were here (at MHS),” said Ma, who earned the honor of valedictorian with his 4.61 grade point average.

He’s the son of Anthony Ma and Siu Ling Lau.

Yok’s brother, Kurtis Ma, was also a standout in the classroom – he was salutatorian for the Class of 2019.

Ngo is this year’s salutatorian based on her 4.57 GPA. She’ll be attending San Diego State in the fall to major in Nursing.

“I think it’s my caring nature that I get from my family,” Ngo said, on choosing her career path,

 She’s the daughter of Thuy and Ngan Ngo.

“My parents are both hard-working,” said Emma Ngo, who praised them for setting a good example.

She added: “They always told me to ‘try to do the best that you can do.’”

Doing the best also worked out well for Yok Chai Ma, especially early on at MHS.

As a freshman, he and junior exchange student Jonas Mueller made tennis history for the Buffaloes, becoming the first duo to capture a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II doubles title.

Ma, who played tennis all four years at MHS, is bound for UC Berkeley. He plans to study Environmental Science or Molecular & Cell Biology.

He won’t hang up the racket just yet. “I’m thinking about playing club tennis (after high school),” said Ma, who attended elementary school at Walter Woodward.

Ngo also went to Woodward by way of River Islands Academies.

Like Ma, she played tennis during all four years at MHS.

The past few years now seem like a blur for Ma and Ngo as they prepare for graduation on Friday, May 23, at Guss Schmiedt Field.

They recently enjoyed being with classmates and friends during Grad Nite at Disneyland.

They’ll be among the 428 seniors to receive their diplomas, in turn, closing a chapter in their young lives.