Dean’s Chat is so excited to welcome back student doctor Miko Fogarty! As a current 4th year student at the Samuel Merritt University College of Podiatric Medicine, she shares unique insights into what her 4th year has been like traveling the country for her externship programs and what she is most excited for in the future.
In this interview, Drs. Jensen and Richey dive deeper into Miko’s previous career as a professional ballerina. Born in London, Miko Fogarty is a former award-winning professional ballet dancer and a current podiatric medical student. At the age of 12, she was one of six ballet dancers featured in the critically acclaimed
documentary “First Position: A Ballet Documentary”, directed and produced by Bess Kargman. Aftertraining at the Indiana Ballet Conservatory in the U.S. and Jinushi Kaoru Ecole du Ballet in Japan, Mikojoined the Birmingham Royal Ballet as the youngest artist in 2015 and toured around the United Kingdom dancing in performances such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer’s Night Dream, and the Nutcracker.
Miko has received worldwide recognition for her performances. She was awarded the Gold Medal at theMoscow International Ballet Competition and was a Prize Winner at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. Other accolades include the Silver Medal from Varna International Ballet Competition, a Bronze Medal from YAGP New York Finals, and two Gold Medals from the World Ballet Competition. Miko has been
invited to perform in performances around the world including in countries such as Peru, Bulgaria, Russia, Switzerland, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, China, Australia, Indonesia, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, and all across the United States.
Although Miko’s dance career was flourishing, she could not ignore her goal of pursuing a college education and discovering more about the intricacies of medicine and healthcare. She started at Feather River College and Contra Costa College, where she earned her Chemistry and Biology Associate’s Degrees before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. Miko graduated with honors in Integrative Biology in 2020 while also researching brain cancer therapies at the University of California, San Francisco. Currently, Miko is a podiatric medical student studying to become a foot and ankle surgeon in California.
Miko found her passion for teaching classical ballet in Thailand when she gave her first ballet class in 2016. Since then, Miko has continued to teach and has coached hundreds of students of all levels. She has taught masterclasses in New Zealand, Panama, Mexico, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Miko is also active on social media with over 230,000 followers on Instagram and 29 million views on Youtube and was listed as one of “The Most Influential People of 2011” in Dance Spirit Magazine.
Miko was given the honor of sharing her inspiring journey on the National Public Radio in 2018 which led to a TEDxBerkeley talk in 2019 and Imagine Talks speech in 2020. She hopes to give her students and patients the inspiration they need to pursue their goals while also prioritizing their physical and mental health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q-KcrLGnco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpZZZhJIemw
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikofogarty/