By her senior year, Angelina Makretsova has had many adventures — paragliding in South Africa, performing website optimization for a startup in Singapore, and supporting small businesses in Richmond with her digital marketing skills. Her secret is simple: Let go of your fears and be curious about life.

Originally from Belarus, Makretsova realized the importance of resilience early on when she participated in protests against her country’s authoritarian government and wanted to pursue an international education. “I feel guilty for being happy and safe while all these crazy things are going on back home,” she said. “But I have to keep going and make my parents proud. Then I can go back and make a real difference.”

The business school student never misses an opportunity when it comes her way. In her sophomore year, she spent her spring semester in Singapore. While there, she helped a local tech startup as part of an entrepreneurship class. Makretsova used the skills and knowledge she gained at UR, especially through her Digital Marketing and Introduction to Entrepreneurship courses, and met a client who still relies on her website optimization expertise.

During her time on campus, she built meaningful relationships with peers and learned more about their experiences. When one of her friends mentioned Semester at Sea, a multi-country study abroad program on a ship, she was immediately interested. “Twelve different countries in four months — I knew I wanted to go right away!” she said.  

Makretsova spent her summer before senior year in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of the consulting internship program with diiVe. During the day, she produced strategic and creative consulting solutions with her team, while her afternoons were spent paragliding above mountains and shark cage diving. As the internship soon ended, she was excited to return to Richmond. “Our campus is so beautiful, and I definitely missed it every time I was away. I couldn’t wait any longer to see my friends,” she said.

In her senior year, she is working on a social media strategy for the business school, and assisting in event promotion for 1 Million Cups, a weekly event that engages and connects local entrepreneurs.  

Makretsova encourages younger students to get out of their comfort zone and pursue their passions, “You can try many things out, and no one will judge you for it. Enjoy your life to the fullest!”