Meet Makena Sommer Partington

We recently connected with Makena Sommer Partington and have shared our conversation below.

Makena Sommer, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic was instilled in me from my Mother and Coach Vladi Sapozhkov.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Most recently, I have been focused on expanding and improving my app, called The Buku App (available for iOS on App Store). We’re the first exclusive campus ecosystem, with our moat to increase the prosperity of students and the circular life of our items! Universities generate some of the most concentrated waste areas due to the academic materials and living essentials they produce. Often, we buy them at full price resentfully, only because we don’t know the dorm mate next door was planning to give the item away. We facilitate the solution in a safe, engaging way. Essentially, we are the lovechild of Facebook Marketplace & Depop, with a focus on university life. Think of calculators, dorm essentials, lab equipment, game day merchandise, etc. We are enhancing features and company initiatives, for example, launching Buku Talents and Buku Ambassadors this week!

In terms of my creative ventures, I am still editing my first monologue, pursuing entertainment and modeling opportunities that align most seamlessly.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I often speak about the importance of excellence and high agency traits as vital to succeed across industries. If your baseline standard is excellence, you’re always prepared and attentive. Skill and perfected technique will emerge if excellence serves as the primary goal. Another valuable skill most neglect is adopting curiosity and humility. We are not exempt from criticism. We must discern if feedback is helpful. Regardless, curiosity opens our minds to new solutions, habits, and ways to become the person who fulfills our given goal.

Think of yourself as a blank canvas with infinite potential to create the vision you desire. However, you need guidance, critiques, lessons, and inspiration to bring your vision to life successfully on your canvas. Each person you encounter, as well as each lesson and test, can contribute to this process. We are all in the process of painting our vision; some are on their fifth painting, while others are on their first.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

I find myself opening “A Return to Love” by Marianne Williamson quite often. I am often attuned to the purpose of my many dynamic relationships, personal and career related. In Williamson’s book, she reiterates the value of egoless love and that our body knows our truth, it’s up to us to listen and live accordingly. She mentions nothing in life is real but love. In this way, fear is not real, it’s simply the absence of love.

To implement this, I’ve become more neutral in the delivery of my career-based communications, and more open in my personal ones. In my career, I now focus on documentation and facts, rather than emotions which can hurt the company or partners well-being. Remember, fear typically may not be necessary. Good intentions and loving discipline produce ideal results. SImilarly, remaining calm and fear-free during conflict ensures all will be well.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Mikala Hannah Partington Photographer, Creative Direction by Makena Sommer

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