Max Poklonskii marked six years as a U.S. resident in spectacular fashion: by receiving the 糖心vlog视频鈥檚 2024 President鈥檚 Medal.
The award recognizes students who earn a GPA in the top two percent of their graduating class and further distinguish themselves with extracurricular activities, awards, research or future plans.
鈥淚t was surreal,鈥 said Poklonskii of the moment that UW President Ana Mari Cauce placed the medal over his neck at the June Commencement Ceremony. Now the award rests in a place of honor, draped over his bedpost.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first thing I see every morning,鈥 said the School of Business alumnus.
A native of Kazakhstan, Poklonskii first moved with his family to Russia and then spent time in Germany before coming to the United States in 2018. That鈥檚 four different countries for Poklonskii by age 22.
And thanks to the many sacrifices his parents made to get him and his younger sister to the U.S., Poklonskii said, he has been able to pursue his passion for learning.
Seizing every opportunity
By the time he earned his diploma from Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Washington, Poklonskii had also obtained his associate degree in business through the state鈥檚 Running Start program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 terrific 鈥 free education,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hy not take advantage of it?鈥
His pragmatic, go-for-it approach continued at UW Bothell, where he seized every opportunity that came his way. As a Business Administration major specializing in the Accounting option and the Finance concentration, Poklonskii participated in about 10 national student leadership conferences and received seven different scholarships.
鈥淭hese weren鈥檛 just financial assistance,鈥 said Poklonskii. 鈥淭hey were lifelines.鈥
He also landed four internships, including two at accounting firms Moss Adams and Ernst & Young. The first, he recalled, came from a connection he made at a networking event hosted by Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor society for accounting, finance and information systems students.
Poklonskii went on to serve as the president of UW Bothell鈥檚 Beta Alpha Psi chapter, which he credits with dramatically expanding his circle of contacts. In the society鈥檚 2023 Las Vegas leadership conference, he rubbed shoulders with high-level executives and worked with other students from across the country. Commiserating with his new peers about academic challenges, he realized, 鈥淭hese are not just my problems. It鈥檚 very reassuring to know we鈥檙e all fighting the same battles.鈥
Locking down and stepping up
Even the COVID-19 lockdown and a job layoff couldn鈥檛 slow Poklonskii鈥檚 pace. 鈥淚 had so much time on my hands,鈥 he said of the period. 鈥淚 thought I might as well do something productive.鈥
He reflected on his passion for education and an idea came: He could become a tutor instead of a learner. He posted notices on Facebook Marketplace and, soon enough, found himself tutoring elementary and middle-school students in the finer points of math, science and English.
From there, it was on to geometry and algebra for high school students. But he recognized a greater need among these older students, many of whom worked stressful jobs as grocery store clerks and delivery drivers during the pandemic. 鈥淪ome were first-generation students like me, trying to make something of themselves,鈥 Poklonskii recalled. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榊ou know what? I might as well, for those students, do it for free.鈥 I just felt for them.鈥
When the high school students turned to him for support with navigating the college application process, Poklonskii stepped in willingly. He proofread college-entrance essays, helped complete federal student aid forms and suggested classes that could make a college application shine. His deeper motivation? 鈥淚 recognized the systemic barriers that hindered many of these students from considering higher education,鈥 said Poklonskii.
By the end of his stint as a virtual tutor, Poklonskii had provided more than 500 hours of tutoring services.
Max lives and breathes enthusiasm and energy and excitement. He was just a dynamo in the classroom.
Ron Tilden, senior lecturer (retired), School of Business
Moving from campus to corporate life
Back on the UW Bothell campus, Poklonskii embraced his role as a learner, enjoying the small class sizes and the attentive, top-caliber professors he found in the School of Business. 鈥淭he faculty really care about you as a person,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd I really love that.鈥
One of those faculty members was Ron Tilden, who has since retired from his role as a senior lecturer. Tilden was unsurprised to learn that Poklonskii had achieved a 4.0 grade point average, citing his combination of brain power and hard work as keys to his success. 鈥淢ax lives and breathes enthusiasm and energy and excitement,鈥 Tilden said. 鈥淗e was just a dynamo in the classroom.鈥
True to form, Poklonskii didn鈥檛 take a break after receiving the President鈥檚 Medal his senior year at UW Bothell. Instead, he jumped right into his fourth and final internship, this one at the professional services firm Deloitte. When it ends in August, he鈥檒l immediately pivot to a new full-time job.
What accounts for this medalist鈥檚 incredible drive? 鈥淚鈥檝e always been like this,鈥 said Poklonskii. 鈥淚 think I might as well put in all of my effort, try my best, even though it sounds very corny. Go all in or go home.鈥
Repaying the cost of a dream
Looking back on all his has accomplished in the last six years, Poklonskii focuses on his first-generation experience 鈥 and what it cost his parents to bring him and his sister to the U.S.
鈥淭hey did it for us,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t just feels wrong to be, like, 鈥榃hatever, I鈥檒l just go enjoy.鈥欌
Poklonskii and the many first-gen students he tutored abide by what he calls an unsaid rule: 鈥淲e all have to try our best. Failure is not an option. There鈥檚 no golden parachute, nothing to fall back on.鈥
His long path from Kazakhstan to UW Bothell President鈥檚 Medalist seems proof that his efforts are paying off for him, his family and the community he has bult here.
鈥淭he American dream is alive and well,鈥 said Professor Tilden, 鈥渁nd Max is a good example of that.鈥
