A great educational journey

Markovtsova, known to most as Annie, grew up watching her parents fight for a better life. Born in Gomel, Belarus, Markovtsova’s family left when she was young going to New York City with cardboard boxes for luggage. Through multiple moves and watching her parents overcome challenges to become successful in their careers, Markovtsova came to have an understanding of the importance of education. That understanding mixed with her love of science led this Aragon senior to strive to be a doctor.

What type of doctor remains to be decided; Markovtsova simply knows she wants to do hands-on work with people and not be stuck in a lab. She will be the first in her family to break from the family tradition of studying mathematics. Markovtsova also needs to overcome a personal challenge, her tendency to faint at the sight of blood.

Markovtsova grew up blissfully unaware of the difficulties surrounding her family. She remembers living in New York and visiting FAO Schwartz, a large toy store. The family could not afford the toys, but the visits allowed Markovtsova the opportunity to play with them. Transitioning to America was difficult for Markovtsova’s mother, she recalled. She had studied at the Harvard University equivalent in Russia, but could not find work. She ended up studying in Los Angeles to earn her doctorate degree. Markovtsova lived with her father for one year in New York before moving to Southern California to join her mother.

Finding a school for Markovtsova proved challenging for her parents. She began with a short stint in a public school. Her parents did not like the curriculum, however, moving Markovtsova to a private Catholic school. Markovtsova smiled when she explained how religious teachings did not completely fit with her scientist parents’ point of view. Markovtsova finally landed in a science and math magnet program, where she stayed until fourth grade.

The family moved to Foster City and Markovtsova was enrolled in Audubon Elementary. While at Audubon, a teacher paired Markovtsova with a first-grade little buddy who was also Russian. It was through this partnership that Markovtsova began performing with a traditional Russian chorus. Markovtsova continued to perform through her sophomore year.

At Bowditch Middle School, Markovtsova was introduced to track, specifically hurdles. Her love of the sport continued into part of her time at Aragon. Markovtsova also gave water polo a try her freshman and sophomore years. The previous two years, Markovtsova took up cross country. She simply enjoyed the ability to run for two hours daily.

Markovtsova petitioned to attend Aragon, noting the educational options. She began at Aragon trying to do everything — a goal she now realized was a huge mistake. Her sophomore year was a bit easier since Markovtsova had already figured out her limitations.

"On many occasions, this young lady has stormed my office with the outcry of ‘I love to learn,’” recalled Department Chair of Guidance Trisha Liskay. "She then goes on and shares with me all of her new discoveries she has made in and out of her classes. She does all of this with the bliss of a child tasting ice cream for the first time. Anastasia relishes learning and earnestly goes above and beyond in all of her studies.”

She has done a lot. Markovtsova served on the student council as a delegate her freshman year. She has been on the school paper all four years — three covering sports and one covering news. Markovtsova joined the robotics team this year — she’s the only blonde female on the team. Markovtsova joined the concert choir last year. She’s played the flute since she was 5. She began to play the piccolo in eighth grade and shortly attempted to play tuba, which Markovtsova quickly realized was too big for her to carry.

Over the summers, Markovtsova used the time to explore a variety of science options. She was one of 20 students to earn an internship at the University of California at San Francisco doing laboratory work. Markovtsova found it interesting, however quickly realized a lab location was not for her.

She spent four weeks during the summer before her junior year at the University of California at Davis for COSMOS, a college-run program for high school students. Markovtsova chose to focus on biomedical studies.

About a year and a half ago, Markovtsova’s family hit another milestone — they received their green cards. Interestingly, Markovtsova always thought reaching that point would be an answer to many problems. Instead, Markovtsova realized she has always been American.

Along the way, Markovtsova has earned a number of honors including being a National Merit Finalist. She has successfully taken a number advanced placement tests, but the success will not offer her college credit. Markovtsova has elected to attend the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Before heading south, Markovtsova will spend the summer back in Belarus with her family.

The Aragon graduation is 1 p.m. Friday, May 29 on campus.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.