Svetlana Mikhaylova

Born in the lavishing city of Moscow, I grew up in an ambitious family of politicians and entrepreneurs. My siblings and me being homeschooled allowed my family to travel across the globe, so by the time I was 10 years old I’ve already visited more countries than most people would see in a lifetime – from Egypt and Italy to Canada and Denmark. When I was eight we moved to Costa Rica where I lived for three years; surfing, salsa dancing and paragliding were some of the few things my family did while learning Spanish.

At the age of twelve my parents divorced – my father moved back to Russia and the rest of my family (mom, two siblings and four dogs) moved to our vacation house in Evergreen, Colorado. Soon we lost the house in foreclosure and after moving from house to house finally settled in Arvada where I live today. Unable to travel anymore, I enrolled in Drake Middle School. I was able to finish middle school with a 4.0 and, nominated by one of my teachers, received an “Ambassadors For Youth” award. Representing my school at an award ceremony, receiving a congressional record and meeting the senator was a very rewarding experience.

Then I went on to Arvada West High School, but feeling that I’m not being academically challenged enough, transferred to Ralston Valley High School after freshman year. After spending a summer at an animal sanctuary and reading an empowering novel on factory farming I decided to go vegan. Today I’m a rising senior, an aspiring entrepreneur and a marathon runner. In my spare time I love to volunteer, attend Zumba/yoga classes and drink lots of red tea.

I’m ecstatic about finishing high school and, in college, considering majoring in marketing with a minor in web design or journalism. I have an internship at a bilingual newspaper “Gorizont” and over the summer am participating in multiple academic programs (NBTB at Stanford University, Business Week at Johnson & Wales and CEO Development at Denver University) as well as taking an online class at UC Berkeley.

I don’t know what my future holds, but I’m excited about leaving Colorado to finally live on my own and open myself up to a world full of opportunities! (: