Margarita Makovei
Location: Odessa, Ukraine
Background: I was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine and I lived there until I was 14. I moved to United States as a freshman in high school to live with my grandparents in Sycamore, Illinois. I left my family back in Ukraine and I had a fresh start because my parents wanted a better education and future for me. Even though I have not seen them in almost five years, I know that all of this is going to pay off. I went to a small Christian high school and after I graduated, I decided to go to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. I am a double major in accounting and finance and I have always loved working with numbers. After I graduate college, I want to be a financial analyst somewhere in Florida. My hope is that in the future I will be able to start my own business and become very successful at what I do.
Specialty: Couple of things that I have always loved doing are dancing and playing sports. I started dancing when I was 6, and dance was always the place I could come to when something was wrong in my life. I have always been very determined, and I like to overcome all the obstacles that come my way. When I moved to United States, I started playing sports, and basketball was my favorite. Learning how to play as a team, being helpful and teach underclassmen how to do certain moves and seeing their smiles after they learned how to do them was amazing. Sports and dancing are still two places that are my happy places and that is still what I do whenever I am sad, upset or happy.
Philosophy: I believe that God always brings people into our lives for a reason, they are here either to stay or teach us a lesson. I realize that not everyone is going to like you, you do not need to seek acceptance from other people and the only one that you need acceptance from is God. God has brought many amazing opportunities into my life and I could not be more thankful. My goal in life is to always spread kindness even to those that have done me harm and to never look back. Your past is your past, focus on all the good things that you have right now and how God has blessed you.