HELLO, I’M MARKAS

A curious student building ideas with purpose.

I’m a Grade 9 student in the IB program at Parkdale Collegiate Institute. I’m interested in learning, fitness, sports, reading, cars, game development, online business, and leadership — always working toward bigger opportunities while helping the people around me feel included.

Parkdale CI · IB Program

Toronto, Canada

01 / MOMENTUM

Achievements I’m proud of

• Semifinalist — America’s Favorite Student (Top 300 out of 20,000)
• Building a school sports club with around 40 students per session
• University course completions through Coursera
• Running for Valedictorian

Experience so far

• Shopify dropshipping business
• Volunteering at summer camp
• Creating a school sports club
• Leading and connecting with peers
• Exploring business and marketing through real projects
• Virtual Game Design

CERTIFICATES & RECOGNITION

Swipe through completed courses, coding credentials, academic milestones, contest participation, and volunteer recognition.

02 / IN PROGRESS

What I’m building next

Currently building

An online Shopify store — developing the site, strategy, and habits that turn ideas into action.

Currently learning

AI integration and marketing skills, with a focus on how new tools can accelerate real projects.

Currently exploring

Entrepreneurship, leadership opportunities, and competitions that create new challenges.

03 / CAPABILITIES

Skills I’m growing

I enjoy learning by making, collaborating, and following projects from an early idea through to a finished result.

Game development using AI · Web development using AI · Graphic design · Video editing · Entrepreneurship · Communication · Problem solving · Teamwork · Volunteering

EDUCATION

Parkdale Collegiate Institute

Grade 9 · IB Program
Previous school: Park Lawn JMS
Interested in: TKS and IB programs
Relevant learning: Anatomy course by the University of Michigan

04 / LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

Learning to lead beyond the classroom.

2026 semifinalist · Top 300 out of 20,000 students

Running in America’s Favorite Student, hosted by Bill Nye, was a great learning experience. It showed me that leadership is not only about being recognized — it is about communicating what you care about, staying consistent, and encouraging people to believe in what you are trying to build. Reaching the semifinals helped me become more confident sharing my ideas and representing my school community.

America’s Favorite Student 2026 campaign poster for Markas Maerkov

05 / OFF THE CLOCK

The things that keep me curious.

Business & leadership

Learning how strong ideas become useful opportunities.

Game development

Exploring mechanics, creative worlds, and AI-assisted building.

Gym & exercise

Making time to train, move, and stay disciplined.

06 / FEATURED PROJECT

Dropshipping Business

An AI-supported online business experiment focused on creating a product site, shaping its strategy, and learning how decisions turn into results.

I used Shopify and PagePilot to design the website, refine pricing, and use store analytics to improve strategy.

Business strategy

AI & automation

Shopify

Analytics

What I learned: AI integration and workflow, data-informed decision making, marketing, and creative problem solving.

Using store analytics to notice visitor patterns and make better decisions about pricing, product pages, and marketing strategy.

07 / MORE THAN A RÉSUMÉ

The things that shape me.

GYM & EXERCISE

Training keeps me grounded.

I genuinely enjoy going to the gym because it gives me time to build discipline, clear my head, and keep improving. It is one of the ways I stay active while working toward goals outside of school, too.

LEGO

A builder since I was little.

I have loved LEGO since I was a kid. I still enjoy the process of taking small pieces, following an idea, and turning them into something that feels complete — especially sets with lots of detail.

DRAMA & PERFORMANCE

Taking the stage as Zeke.

For my school play, I played Zeke in High School Musical. I was really nervous before going on stage, but that challenge made the experience even more memorable. Performing with the cast pushed me to be brave, stay present, and have fun with it.

Markas playing Zeke in High School Musical

Markas in basketball uniform during High School Musical

08 / CONTACT

Let’s make something meaningful.

markasmaerkov@gmail.com