Meet Mikayla “Miki” Chan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mikayla “Miki” Chan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mikayla “Miki”, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My name is Miki Chan, and I’m a high school student in the class of 2026. I like to think of myself as someone whose purpose is shaped by habits, passions, and the challenges I’ve faced. These parts of my life make up who I am, and I’m honored to share them. Some of my most defining challenges have come from the silence surrounding things that mattered most. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn’t find out until way after her treatment was complete. For months, I had a sense that something was off through subtle changes in her presence, the way she seemed just a little more tired, a little less present. Later, we had open conversations about her diagnosis and how she had wanted to protect my brother and me from worry. It was then that I learned my great-aunt and aunt had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. That discovery sparked a curiosity in me. I frequently thought, what was my own risk? As an Asian American girl growing up with only surface-level exposure to “Pink October” campaigns, I realized how little I actually knew about breast cancer, especially in my own community. I started to wonder if other girls felt the same way.

Since freshman year, that wondering has turned into purpose. I began writing opinion articles on health, society, government, and feminism for my school newspaper. I even wrote an op-ed calling for deeper, more honest breast cancer education, beyond the just pink marketing. In my sophomore year, I started my research journey, specifically exploring breast cancer in Asian American women. Over the past three years, I’ve realized that my purpose is rooted in disseminating knowledge through community, leadership, and research. I started with a personal desire to understand my own risk and my loved ones’ experiences, leading my growth to fulfill a mission to help others learn, too. I’ve since built a growing community centered around health and research. I’ve shared stories, organized research efforts, and advocated for curiosity to help others create their own unique paths, especially when it starts from a place of personal connection. Through these activities, I’ve also learned the importance of exploring my curiosities and questions, and of valuing balance. So much growth has happened along the way!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m passionate about sharing information and fostering leadership to build a more unified, informed community. For the past two years, I’ve gained a deeper curiosity for breast cancer in Asian women after understanding my high risk and family history of the disease. I’ve focused my efforts on the research aspect. Specifically, having done research with the DREAM Lab at UCSF, I’ve learned from SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) data from the National Cancer Institute that breast cancer rates among Asian American women under 50 have now surpassed those of non-Hispanic white women despite the common perception that Asian American women are at low risk of breast cancer. This is especially important given how heterogeneous the Asian American population is and how often they’re overlooked in medical research. I wanted to raise awareness about this, too. I’ve presented these findings, which focus on statistics and epidemiological patterns, at two AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) conferences in 2024 and 2025, where I engaged with leading cancer researchers and public health professionals. I also shared my work at a Women in STEM symposium hosted in LA County. Currently, with the help of a research grant, I’m building a data-driven application that helps women estimate their breast cancer risk based on personal awareness levels and cultural/environmental exposures, in addition to just age and race. The platform uses survey-based tools and integrates educational features, including guidance on using SEER*Explorer and other public databases. Through these experiences, I realized that research is an incredible field, and I wanted to give back to the high school community by sharing the importance of research and creating opportunities for others to get involved. After attending the 2024 Global Health Leaders Conference, I came to appreciate how global health professionals connect research with impact. Inspired by those conversations, I reached out to a few attendees to help start a community dedicated to research collaboration among students. That became the High School Health Research Forum, a research community that I now co-lead. With an amazing team of peers, we’ve hosted research expos, organized international competitions judged by university researchers and journal editors, and launched a peer-editing platform where students can submit their research articles for feedback. Our goal is to build a vibrant, accessible research community focused on health, empowering young people from around the world to share their ideas and ask big questions.

Beyond statistics, I’m passionate about the more narrative side of breast cancer. I’ve continued demystifying the disease through creative expression by interviewing breast cancer survivors and their loved ones, daughters, sisters, close friends, as well as collecting and sharing their stories. I’ve also walked in solidarity with a community of these individuals at the 2024 MORE THAN PINK Walk during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’ve continued working to build empathy, break the stigma surrounding illness, and remind others that stories deserve spaces to be heard.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’ve found that balance, intentionality, and motivation have been the most impactful qualities in my journey so far. As a high school student, there are days when I go from long water polo practices straight into hours of schoolwork. However, I’ve come to see balance as an ebb and flow where I make space for what matters most in each moment. In other words, I live in the moment and focus on each day’s priorities, without dwelling too much on the past or the future. Some days, that means peer editing a student’s paper; other days, it means watching a movie with my family after dinner. Intentionality carries into every part of my life. I’ve always tried to search for joy in all my tasks and activities. When it’s time to do homework, I treat it like a time to notice what’s interesting about the topic I’m currently learning. During water polo, I try to move with the water and let it remind me how to be present in both my mind and body. Lastly, motivation keeps me going when I encounter difficult times. There are plenty of moments when it would be easier to zone out or step away from a task at hand, but I try to remind myself of why I care about the things I do. My motivation comes from a genuine desire to help others through research, writing, or community-building. It’s easy to get caught up in pressure or expectations, but I’ve learned to return to that personal sense of purpose. For anyone, I’d say that you should try to be patient with yourself, stay curious, and let small moments of each day teach you something!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I’m feeling overwhelmed with academics and responsibilities, I remind myself to drop any negative thoughts in the moment, take a step back, and remember to slow down. I also remind myself about the importance of recharging in the ways that make me feel better. I love watching Young Sheldon or Gossip Girl to relax and laugh. Or, I sit on the floor, light a candle, and look out the window to ground myself in the moment. I also try to create a calming environment, whether that’s taking a short nap, making an iced coffee (even if it’s late in the day), or just spending time with my dog. It’s definitely popular advice, but I’d say to never ever overlook the power of recharging yourself in any way that you’d like so you can return to your tasks with more clarity and energy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hshrf.org
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaylamikichan/
• Other: Note: hshrf.org is to promote my organization, High School Health Research Forum! I do not have a personal website.