IN HER COMFORT ZONE
Angela Gladkikh, a 2016 graduate of San Marcos High School, will be a senior this fall at Georgetown University. The economics major was one of more than 2,400 students to receive a scholarship from the Scholarship Foundation this year.
Despite being 3,000 miles away from family and friends, Angela Gladkikh feels right at home.
Miss Gladkikh, a member of the San Marcos High School Class of 2016, is spending the summer interning for BMO Capital Markets as an investment banking summer analyst in New York City.
This fall, she will be a senior at Georgetown University. During a recent phone interview, the economics major told the News-Press she misses spending time with her family and her dog, but feels like she is in the right place.
“I do miss the home aspect, but I feel at home at Georgetown,” she said.
Miss Gladkikh was one of more than 2,400 students who received a scholarship from the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara this year.
“They’ve really helped me with my academics and are helping me get the most out of my education,” she said. “The more help the better.”
She said living on the East Coast has been an adjustment from what she is used to, but for now she is enjoying the moment as she looks to begin a career in investment banking.
Miss Gladkikh, 20, is one of 60 college students involved with Global Platinum Securities, a student-run investment fund that manages a $300,000 portfolio. The investment fund operates on several college campuses on the East Coast, including Harvard, NYU and MIT.
“I’ve met a lot of interesting people and they’ve really introduced me to the world of finance,” she said.
She arrived at Georgetown as a pre-med major and aspired to work in health care. Her parents are both sports scientists, with her dad working as a sports medicine doctor for Olympic athletes. The switch to economics opened her eyes to all of the possibilities that could push her intellectually, she said.
Ms. Gladkikh was born and raised in Russia and moved to Santa Barbara when she was 11. She attended La Colina Junior High and San Marcos High School before becoming a Hoya.
During her college search, Ms. Gladkikh said she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for, but she was drawn to the international programs offered at Georgetown.
“I found that to be very comforting,” she said, adding that she didn’t speak English when she moved to the United States. “(My Russian heritage) has always been a big part of me.”
Learning English was a difficult task for her, but she was also able to learn how to make personal connections with people in the process.
“It’s not only that language barrier, but a barrier on how you can approach problems,” she said.
While the foundation has helped her pursue higher education, Ms. Gladkikh said her parents have also been a huge driving force.
“They’re always very encouraging,” she said. “It helps me appreciate what’s in front of me. I definitely couldn’t make it this far without them.”
She has yet to decide on what she will be doing after she graduates, but said she plans on staying on the East Coast.
“That part is clear to me,” she said. “I’m not sure what exactly it is that I’ll be doing, but I’m sure that I’ll be surrounded by friends from Georgetown and some of the others I’ve met over the years. That’s pretty much all I need to know to be reassured that I’ll be in a good place.”
