DRACO Welcomes New Team Member, Mikala Fjerstad

Get To Know Mikala

DRACO is excited to welcome Mikala Fjerstad to the team! Mikala is from Lennox, SD, and she recently graduated from South Dakota State University (SDSU) with degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Spanish as well as minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics. She will begin graduate school this fall in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Biomedical Engineering and will be specializing in Sports Biomechanics.

As the newest team member, Mikala will help DRACO expand its outreach to SDSU and Dakota State University. You can reach her at mikala.fjerstad@draco.bio.

We asked Mikala a few questions so you could get to know her better. 

What will you do for DRACO Catalyst?

I recently joined the DRACO Catalyst team to assist in facilitating new relationships with educational and professional institutions. I will also be bringing an engineering perspective to the multidisciplinary team!

What are you most excited about?

I am most excited to meet new people and work with DRACO as they start this new endeavor. I am really excited to be a part of something like this from its beginning and watch it grow into something great.

What do you hope to learn?

I really hope to get a look at how organizations like DRACO work behind the scenes. I have always had the privilege to enjoy opportunities like this as a student and I am ready to reciprocate my time in order for other students to have those experiences as well. I think being a part of this process will be eye-opening for me! 

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time, I like to spend my time with my friends and family and I love playing volleyball with my rec league team. I also enjoy watching football, especially when the Broncos are playing!