Mika and Kayo RobinsoN
I am a first-generation college student who comes from a hard working family that is rich in love but has faced many financial setbacks and challenges. — Kayo, HDFS Commencement Speech 2015
Mika (’17) and Kayo Robinson (’15) are both graduates of HDFS. They have been stellar students of the Honors College at UNCG, and Kayo was a “2015 Outstanding HDFS Student”. Read Kayo’s complete commencement speech here (PDF) .
Background
These sisters share a compelling story of growing up in a transnational, multi-lingual family that is Japanese and African-American. They spent their early lives in Okinawa Japan, and then came to America in their teens to live with their father’s family in Kenly, North Carolina, where they graduated from North Johnston High School. They were attracted to UNCG for its excellent academics and diverse student body. During their studies at UNCG Mika and Kayo both focused on health disparities in low-income under-served populations, doing an Honors Project and Honors Thesis respectively with the Montagnard Hypertension Research Project.
Future Studies
Mika was accepted into her top choice of dental school for 2017 at East Carolina University (ECU). She chose ECU because of its emphasis on rural and under-served populations. She has received scholarship support for her studies.
Kayo will pursue medical studies in pursuit of her goal to provide medical care for low-income populations, and those with limited access to health care. She was accepted into 5 medical schools but has chosen to attend Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine because of its commitment to social responsibility and justice. She will begin in Fall 2017 and she has been offered a merit-based scholarship.
Mika Robinson’s Graduation – 2017
HHS and HDFS congratulate Mika and Kayo and wish them the every best in their future endeavors !