Mikaela David-John

Mikaela David-John was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. Mikaela completed her undergraduate degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Advertising and Public Relations. Mikaela holds a master’s degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences with a concentration in Nonprofit Organizational Development. Mikaela has held multiple paid and volunteer communications positions spanning across various fields including telecommunications, medical, nonprofit organizations and multiple Indigenous student organizations at a collegiate level. During her time at the University of Florida, Mikaela served as a graduate research assistant working to evaluate and improve several health and wellness programs. Mikaela has spent the last several years working in the nonprofit sector for Partnership for Strong Families, a child welfare agency in Florida, on the Community Relations team and as a Community Research Coordinator. Prior to arriving at Virginia Tech, Mikaela was working on a federally funded program evaluation and expansion of the child welfare agency’s family resource centers. Beyond the program evaluation, Mikaela also got to help at the Resource Center by meeting with community members for consultations and connecting them with local resources. During Mikaela’s time at UF and in Gainesville, she was an advocate at Native American college students. Mikaela is a co-founder of the University of Florida Student Chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Mikaela continues to serve as a leader for UF’s Student Chapter of AISES as a co-advisor for their organization. Mikaela also serves as a Career Educator for Lyfehouse, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to enhancing the lives of youth and families and the agencies that serve them. In her free time, Mikaela loves to spend time with her husband and her energetic dog, Kona. Mikaela also enjoys expressing herself creatively through graphic design and has recently started cross-stitching.