Mikayla's Autobiography 🌷

Early Life

I was born on May 10, 2024 in Richmond Hill to parents Sonia and Greg Morrison. I have two younger sisters named Elaina (18) and Natasha (16), so women definitely run our house (as it should be).

I lived in Penang, Malaysia with my family between the ages of 5 and 7. While there, I attended Dalat International School. It was a time in my life that I look back on with much fondness: I had a lot of friends whose families and was able to experience an incredibly rich culture through night markets, festivals, and cuisine. The funny part is that almost everyone I knew while I was there has since moved back to their home country just like we did, haha.

Education

I went to Northwood Public School in Brampton for elementary school, and while not much happened there (besides me being cast as the main character in the “Horton Hears a Who” musical at our school), I had the privilege of being taught by an amazing teacher named Mrs. Castellarin who was quite literally changed my life. Not only was she so much fun to be around, but she believed in me so much that I never doubted for a second that she could do whatever I set my hand to. Of course, life has presented me with much to doubt, but I will always be grateful to her for helping me find confidence in my ability to learn.

I went to Beatty Fleming Sr. Public School (also in Brampton) for middle school. While I was mostly just your stereotypical Christian girl who was very studious, BUT THE KIDS IN MY YEAR WERE CRAAAAAZZZZYYYY. Thank goodness I avoided the drama by being a part of the French Extended Program. When I was in 7th grade, I had a teacher named Madame Ligonde who constantly challenged me to stretch beyond what was required of me. She taught me to never stop looking for the answer to something that I thought I would never be able to understand. She taught me to not be afraid of the unknown, but to instead embrace it and harness the endless expanse of knowledge that I could acquire by having the audacity to look beyond just what I was instructed to draw my attention to.

I went to Turner Fenton Secondary High School in Brampton, Ontario. I was a part of the I.B. program, so I have an I.B. Diploma in addition to a standard high school diploma. That program was absolutely wild, and I wouldn’t recommend it to any who isn’t extremely disciplined and super passionate about learning, but it was a very valuable experience. I learned how much I love History, Literature, and Biology. MM MM MM, it still excites me to think about it…I have no idea how on earth I wound up in Computer Science, but hey, I won’t question it. Huge shoutout to my HL History teacher Mr. Gervais. Thank you for listening to every single one of my ideas and teaching me how to filter my thoughts to create essays that weren’t just coherent, but impactful. Thank you for believing in my ability to not just be a good student, but to be an advocate for the relevance of history and my place in it.

As you can tell, I have had the privilege of being taught by amazing teachers who absolutely changed my life. They believed in me…so I guess I can believe in myself too :)

Career

I worked as an I.T. Support Technician at Husky Technologies in the summer of 2022, 2023, 2024. I was mostly troubleshooting with hardware and Microsoft software, as well as playing around with OS and various types of device configuration. As far as soft skills go, I learned a lot…especially about being both sympathetic towards frustrated individuals, and assertive with those who tried to abuse their power. In short, it was a fun and very interesting experience, but definitely NOT something I’d want to do for a living. I hope to dive a little more into a career focus on Enterprise Architecture in the future.

Personal Life

I’m not going to trauma-dump or lament the fact that I don’t have a significant other…So instead I’m gonna tell you about my hobbies and best friends woohoo! Also worth noting, I am Christian. And to be honest, thank goodness for God (haha the irony), because without something to believe in, I’d have given up on life a long time ago. My faith is my light in the dark, and for that I am forever grateful.

While I have many hobbies, some of them include:

Crocheting

I’ve made coasters, anthropomorphic rabbits (plus clothes for said rabbits) and sweaters. But purses are my favorite thing to make.

Beading

I love to make keychains and bracelets for my friends. Hearing the beads click against each other is soooo satisfying. I also had a bracelet business in highschool haha; it went strong for about 2 years and then I just got frustrated with that fact I couldn’t make it expand. Great experience though!

Nail Art

UV cure gel nail polish is better than air dry. I got very good at painting stars and flowers.

Reading

Crime fiction, thrillers, and historical fiction are amongst my favorites, BUT SCI-FI IS WHERE IT’S AT!!!

Here are some book recommendations!

Listening to Music

I love love love all kinds of music, but anything before 2000 was peak. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is probably my favorite album of all time, but Laufey’s Bewitched album is my current obsession. I also love love love classical music; Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff are my favorite composers. Their compositions are so emotional, it literally gives me butterflies.

My best friends have shaped me in ways that I am so incredibly grateful for. Particularly my two best friends from highschool. I won’t add their names here, but these two girls are always on my mind, always in my heart, and everything I do reminds me of them. From sobbing over the same set of exams, to fangirling over the same musicians and watching the same movies, my best friends have been there to ride the highs with me and bring me back down to earth. I am so grateful to know t hem the way that I do, and everyday I am reminded of how precious they are.

MY BESTIES IN UNIVERSITY ARE SO FUNNY. Their names will also not be mentioned, but they just get me. Everytime we’re around each other, we just yap for hours about absolutely everything under the sun. There is never a dull moment with them, and I am so grateful to be surrounded by friends who aren’t just smart, funny, and relatable, but who are genuinely good people with great passion for everything they do. I hope to be more like them in the future.

Also since this is becoming more of a shout-out page lol, SHOUTOUT TO MY MOM!! For always believing in me, even when I don’t believe in myself; I love you momma.