“There is always a way” (Quote from his maternal grandfather)
Mikele is 19. He was born in Miami from a Peruvian mother and an Italian father. His mother is from Lima (Peru), his father from Valguarnera Caropepe, a small town in Central Sicily. He has two half-siblings.
Mikele has dual US-Italian citizenship and kept strong ties with his father’s homeland. Over the years, most of his extended family has moved from Sicily to Northern Italy and he visits with them on a regular basis. He always looks forward to his Nonna’s arancini and cannoli.
Mikele grew up in South and West Miami and is now living in Little Havana. He went to high school at the Doral Academy and is currently a Sophomore at Florida International University studying towards a B.A. in International Relations and Asian Studies (Chinese Track).
Mikele loves all things international and would like to make a career of it.
He developed a deep interest for China. He plans to enter the US Foreign Service after he graduates and has the ambition of one day becoming US Ambassador to China. But before that, he plans to take a year off to learn Mandarin and study abroad in Montreal.
Mikele worries about changes to the world order but has faith in his generation – Generation Z. He is inspired by Congressman Maxwell Frost from Florida, the first member of his generation to serve in the US Congress – and believes his generation’s adaptability and versatility will be key drivers towards a more optimistic future.