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 !