My Past
2012
Cancer Survivor
I would not be the person that I am today, if I did not have cancer. Cancer sucks.
I am proud to say that I have been cancer free for 12 years. I was first diagnosed with Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas when I was twelve years old in 2012. I had to have open surgery to remove the malignant tumor that was at the end of my pancreas. I had an extremely rare type of cancer, and was incredibly lucky to have survived after my surgery.
One of the hardest part about my cancer journey was the battle scar that I was left with after surgery. I used to HATE my scar, until I named her Matilda.
My life changed after 2012.
The way I live life changed. The way I valued my health changed. And the way I grew up changed.
I have learned to accept my past and now on October 29th I celebrate my cancer free anniversary and call it "Mika Day."
2018
Rotary International; Interact
After surviving cancer, I felt the need to give back to my community in any way that I could.
I was the founder and president of Rotary Interact for Rancho Bernardo High School my senior year of high school. I wanted to start a community service club for future generations. My high school experience was unforgettable and I wanted to give back to the school in some way. I left my mark by establishing this club for my community.
I would have never thought that Rotary would be such a large part of my life in my future.
2019
Dance Marathon at San Diego State University
Giving back to the community has always been a large priority in my life. When I started attending San Diego State University, the opportunity to join Dance Marathon was brought to my attention.
Dance Marathon is a 15 hour long danceathon to raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. This program meant so much to me because I was treated at Rady Children’s hospital when I went through cancer.
I was invited to be a guest speaker at San Diego State University’s Dance Marathon in 2019. I got up on stage and told my cancer survivor story to over 600 students. This was a big step in my life as I never really told anyone that I had cancer, I kept it my secret because I was embarrassed. I also returned the next year in 2020 and was a guest speaker again to to share my story.
2019
Holy Matcha Internship
As you can see I have a theme of giving back. I learned that life is too short to not give back to the community that you grow up in and take care of you.
I was determined to intern for my favorite small business in San Diego, Holy Matcha; a matcha cafe run by a strong business women. I was persistent to get this business owner to notice me. I sent multiple emails to ask to intern for her, I sent multiple Direct Messages on Instagram asking if I could intern for her. I used social media to contact this business because I was determined to work for her.
Finally, I got a response back after multiple unread emails and direct messages. I was a personal unpaid intern for the CEO and owner of Holy Matcha during the process of her opening her second Holy Matcha location in Downtown San Diego.
I learned how to start a small business in San Diego. How to manage social media accounts with over 44,000 followers. The hardships and challenges it takes to be a business owner as a women. Overseenthe growth of an empty building into a running cafe in just a few months.
2020
Director of Social Media for Dance Marathon
After speaking at the Dance Marathon event in 2019, I wanted to participate in the organization. I was became the Director of Social Media for the event in 2020.
I used my passion for social media and my heart of giving back to the hospital that saved my life to raise money for kids that have cancer. I learned how to fundraise money through the use of social media and my cancer survivor story.
My fundraising goal was $1029. The day that I had my open surgery and the day that I became cancer free was on October 29th 2012. I surpassed my goal and raised over $1200 that year. As a whole organization we raised over $365,000 for Rady Children’s Hospital.
At the 2020 danceathon I also spoke about my story again. I realized that I can’t keep my cancer story a secret. It was important to show people at the event what they were raising money for. People like me who had cancer and survived because of Rady Children’s Hospital.
2020
Vice President of Public Relations for Rotaract
Remember how I started Rotary Interact in High School… well that was not the end of my Rotary experience. I joined Rotaract the university version of Interact when I went to San Diego State University.
I combined my love for Rotary and serving the community with my marketing degree. I was elected as Vice President of Public Relations for Rotaract for the 2020-2021 school year.
2020 was not like any other year, we were in a global pandemic. Nobody was prepared for this change in life and neither was I. But the pandemic displayed how important social media had become and how it was the largest way to communicate in a virtual setting.
Through my role as Vice President of Public Relations I was able to create merchandise that was relevant to the times. I designed a custom mask for the club that had our Rotaract logo on them. The mask was my idea and a way to promote our club but also keep all of our members safe.
2021
Guest Speaker for The Rotary Club of San Diego
During the pandemic, reality hit and my past became so relevant. I was scared of the pandemic, I was scared that COVID could react with my body differently than other people because I have a weakened immune system.
While I was locked away in my house, I got the pleasure of meeting a Rotary member who worked for the American Cancer Society. I told her my story and she wanted me to share it with others. I then got the opportunity to speak at the Rotary Club of San Diego on Zoom at one of their weekly luncheon meetings. I spoke alongside other cancer survivors and a doctor who is researching to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.
I spoke about my story to over fifty members of the club and this talk felt different then all my other speeches because I was scared. I always believed that I was cancer free forever, but when the pandemic hit, the fear of uncertainty took over me.
Bartender at Flight Deck San Diego
During the pandemic, I made the decision to go to bartending school. I wanted to learn how to bartend, about mixology, and craft cocktails.
After graduating and getting certified as a bartender, I received a job at a craft cocktail speakeasy bar called the Flight Deck.
I loved meeting guest, serving them cocktails and bartending in the summer. I learned a lot of new skills that I would have never learned from anything that I have done before. Bartending was an incredible experience and mixology is now a hobby that I love to do in my free time.
