More than 30 years After Arriving on Bainbridge as a Rotary Club Youth Exchange Student, Sergei Tokmakov Returned Recently to say Thank You!

Sheri Renner for The Island Wanderer

More than 30 years after arriving on Bainbridge Island as a Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island (RCBI) youth exchange student, Sergei Tokmakov returned recently with a simple purpose: to say thank you.

What he shared with members of the Rotary Club was a powerful reminder of how far a single opportunity can reach.

Tokmakov grew up in a restricted nuclear submarine base in the former Soviet Union, a place largely cut off from the outside world. There were no open media and little access to communication. “We had one radio station,” he told Rotary Club members at a recent gathering. “Even trying to change it could mean prison.”

In 1995, Tokmakov arrived on Bainbridge Island through RCBI’s youth exchange program. “Rotary did not simply sponsor a year abroad,” he said. “It gave me equal access to a world of education, institutions, civic life, and possibility that had been unavailable to me. … I saw transparency. I saw opportunity. I saw young people participating in decisions that mattered,” he said. “That didn’t exist where I came from.”

During his year on Bainbridge, Tokmakov joined student government, played on the Bainbridge High School football team, and experienced a level of openness and community engagement that would stay with him long after he returned home.

Back in Russia, he carried those lessons forward, founding the first Interact Club of Vladivostok. Interact is Rotary’s service and leadership program for young people ages 12 to 18, built around community service projects, leadership, and international understanding. But Tokmakov also made a decision. He wanted to return to the United States.

Years later, he did through the U.S. green card lottery. Tokmakov came back to Bainbridge Island with little more than determination and the memory of the support he had received as a RCBI exchange student. That connection helped him get his footing. He went on to earn a law degree – on scholarship – at Boston University School of Law, pass the bar, and build a legal career in California.

Today, Tokmakov lives in Thailand with his Vietnamese wife, Mai, while actively practicing California law remotely. His work keeps him closely connected to the U.S. legal system – appearing in California court hearings by Zoom, drafting contracts and other legal documents, and advising clients on U.S. business law.

Tokmakov is currently in the process of applying for admission to the Washington State Bar, bringing his Bainbridge story full circle. He credits RCBI with setting that journey in motion. “In the United States, I saw that you could succeed starting from zero,” he said. “That merit and opportunity mattered.”

He described his life in the United States as proof of a principal Rotary has long stood for: that talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not, and that international service can help close that gap. For those in the room, his return brought the impact of Rotary’s exchange program into sharp focus.

“Sergei’s story is exactly why Rotary invests in youth exchange,” said Michael Camp, president of the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island. “It is not just about a single year. It is about opening a door that can shape the course of a life and sometimes ripple across countries and generations.”

As for Tokmakov, the message was simple. “The Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island opened the door, but America rewarded effort,” he said. “My life is what can happen when merit finally meets opportunity. Everything I saw here stayed with me,” he said. “I wanted to come back and say thank you.”

What is Rotary International?

Rotary is a global network of more than 1.4 million members who believe that great things happen when dedicated minds come together. We are community and business leaders representing different professions, experiences, and perspectives but with a shared desire to connect with others to address the challenges affecting our community and communities around the world.

Learn more about Rotary International.

Coming Up:  The Rotary Auction

The Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale is an annual fundraising event organized and run by the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island and over 2,400 community volunteers. This is the club’s 66th year of holding this signature event. Home – Rotary Auction and Rummage Sale

Donation Drop-Offs

• July 5, 8:00 to 7:00
• July 6, 8:00 to 7:00
• July 7, 8:00 to 7:00
• July 8, 8:00 to 7:00

Preview Night:

• July 10, 5:00 to 7:00

Sale Day:

• July 11, 8:00 to 2:00

Sheri Renner is a Bainbridge Island Rotarian and former public relations professional.

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