Senior Spotlight, Maksym Sherman '20, Amherst College

May 08, 2020

With his leadership roles as Co-Secretary General of the Model UN, Treasurer of the Student Government, Secretary of the Investment Club, as well as a member of the Writing Center, Maksym Sherman has been preparing himself for a career in economics. “The process of gaining insight into the workings of our society always fascinated me. I love trying to understand why humans act in a certain way, which then allows for better optimization of whatever I am investigating, allowing for real-world application of my knowledge,” he said.

Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, Maksym Sherman dove right into the IB Diploma Programme as soon as he arrived at Léman. “The amount of research and writing that I had to do for my IB classes is preparing me for college-level coursework, particularly the level of independence that is necessary to succeed in college,” he said, “because of its intensity, the IB teaches you how to prioritize your tasks and forces you to improve time-management skills.” 

These skills will help Maksym succeed when he enrolls in Amherst College, rated #2 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News and World Report, in the fall. “I chose to enroll at Amherst because of its size and academic environment. It is a place where I will develop close relationships with my professors…. (and) be engaged in intellectual discussions both inside and outside of my classrooms. Furthermore, the Five College Consortium with colleges around the arts will supplement the small college feeling and give access to even more resources than I would otherwise have,” he said. “I did not expect how much I would learn about myself as a person (during the college admission process),” he said, “The essays… force you to find your authentic self through fueling the process of self-reflection, which I sincerely enjoyed about the process.” 

Although Maksym is excited to enroll in Amherst in the fall, he is already reflecting on his time at Léman fondly. “I will miss all the people that surrounded me throughout my time at Léman. The community here was amazing and I cannot imagine what my high school experience would be like without all of them. In addition, I will also miss my teachers who were instrumental in my success and the success of their students,” he said. 

When asked what advice he would give to an 8th grader enrolling in Léman next fall, he said, “Do not be afraid to pursue your interests at the school even when you may feel intimidated by outside factors. High school is a time of exploration. Form relations with your friends, explore what you enjoy academically, participate in clubs that interest you. At times you should reflect on your priorities to make sure that you are doing what you sincerely care about. Ask yourself: ‘am I doing this because of my own desire or is it because of outside pressure?’ Of course, you should not play video games all day because you enjoy them but start exploring. Do you want to read a book? Do it! Do you want to volunteer? Do it! The most important part is that you should always develop as an individual. However, in the end, do you forget to have some fun and not drown yourself in academic work. You have so many opportunities available to you in the next four years, so take advantage of them!” 

Congratulations Maksym! We’re sure you’ll be successful at Amherst and beyond!