Hi! I'm Mika
Non-traditional incoming medical student.
Wife and dog mom.
Aspiring minimalist and avid baker.
Hello! My name is Mika (pronounced mee-kuh). I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and will be starting osteopathic medical school in the fall of 2021. I love baking, gardening, intentional living, and spending time with my Super-Sweet-100 husband and dog.
I was one of those kids who always dreamed about becoming a doctor. However, the real journey to medical school was full of bumps and detours.
I started college as a pre-med student and struggled in my science courses. Completely disheartened and believing the lie that you can’t get into medical school without stellar grades, I dropped pre-med and began exploring jobs in the social services.
For the next four years, I volunteered and worked in various nonprofit and social justice organizations. I learned about food justice, community organizing, and housing the homeless. Along the way, I met the most amazing people. But still, something was missing.
After four years of hopping between internships and jobs, I realized that deep down inside, I still wanted to be a doctor. Once I finally admitted it to myself, I made the leap and went back to the pre-med path.
The next five years were full of challenges and triumphs. Pre-requisite courses. A post-baccalaureate program. The MCAT. Dating and marriage. Clinical work. Two application cycles.
After nine years of uncertainty, disappointment, and hard work, I gained acceptance to medical school. Let’s just say a lot of happy tears were shed that day!
In August 2021, our family embarked on our next big adventure: medical school! As crazy as this season has been, it has been my hope to walk through medical school with intentionality, joy, and gratitude. Our path to this point has not been perfect, but it’s been real. It’s a story that is truly our own, one to cherish and one to grow from, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.