School & Program
Simon Fraser University, Sustainability and Engineering

Meadowridge Student Since
Grade 7

Born in
Tver, Russia

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a big sports fan. I’ve played soccer with the school since Grade 7, but when I entered the DP I started playing futsal during lunch, after school… basically all the time. I also play piano and silversmith. It’s fun to make jewelry and rings and stuff. It’s satisfying. I started with Ms. Boyd – she was offering a club and I decided to join – and I liked it, so I found a studio near my home. I’ve always been into a little bit of everything. Track, a lot of soccer… actually, becoming a goalie has been one of the most important journeys in my life. I never thought It’d turn into that, but I started off as a bad goalie and got better and better, eventually making game-saving goals and important catches.

How did you first find yourself at Meadowridge?

My family moved here from Russia in 2008. My parents wanted a better education, which is what brought us here, but we liked it. My parents liked the way things were being done and how I was being taught.

Meadowridge is more than a school; it was made by my friends and the teachers. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Spurgeon in athletics have been a blast. All of my DP teachers… I know teaching us can be a pain, but they taught us and they got us through any difficulties we had.

Tell us about your year ahead.

I’m going to SFU to study sustainability and engineering. It’s a new program, in its second or third year, and there aren’t many like it. It’s an interdisciplinary program – one third business, one third engineering, one third environmentalism – so it’s varied. I didn’t want to do straight engineering or science. I wanted something unique.

What was it like finding out you’d be headed to SFU next year?

Oh, it was complicated actually. After a lot of back-and-forth, I found out I’d been accepted on my way to a Canucks Meet and Greet. I was in the car with my friends from school, checked, and saw the acceptance. I was really excited. After that, the rest of my acceptances started to come in, but I knew I wanted to go to SFU because of the unique program.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?

Actually going to university. Not doing it online – actually going there! [laughs] But I think it’s the environment I’m most excited for. You’re no longer on a schedule. It’s not “go to school at eight, be back at three…” In university, you can pick your own classes and study when you want to. I’m also looking forward to using the facilities, like the labs. That’s going to be fun.

Let life take you along and understand your self-worth, because no matter what happens you will be alright.

What will you miss most as you move onto the next chapter?

I don’t know. There’s not just one thing, The environment. Meadowridge is more than a school; it was made by my friends and the teachers. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Spurgeon in athletics have been a blast. All of my DP teachers… I know teaching us can be a pain, but they taught us and they got us through any difficulties we had.

I’ll always remember soccer, and travelling for provincials. I’ll remember organizing the SPCA Fundraiser Dinner, too. It was such a real experience. It raised almost $11,000. I loved how it all came together, since it was a group effort. The day of, I was organizing volunteers and managing all the technology. We had people come in randomly and wanted to show video and I was running around the school looking for the right chord. Then the projector wouldn’t go down. I didn’t think running tech would be that hard!

Oh, and Chemistry Labs. For sure. You know, doing a three- to four-hour lab while Queen is blasting through the speakers? It’s fun. Adrenaline-inducing fun.

Any parting words of wisdom?

Let life take you along and understand your self-worth, because no matter what happens you will be alright. Work hard and try your best because there will always be someone better than you, but that doesn't matter if you try your best.