Mikko San Ramon looks to liven up Capilano
Greta Kooy // Campus Life Editor
On June 3, 2001, at 10 years old, Carmelo Cervas San Ramon III (aka Mikko) and his family moved to Canada from the Philippines. 16 years later, San Ramon has become a hardworking entrepreneur.
With his beaming personality and set of amiable people skills, he is hard at work involving himself in Vancouver’s diverse communities with the goal of encouraging active participation among his peers. As the Capilano Students’ Union’s (CSU) new recreation coordinator, San Ramon is bringing his enthusiasm to Capilano University.
Upon graduating high school, San Ramon attended BCIT to study Computer Systems Technology (CST). He worked at IBM shortly after, only to realize that his career deprived him of a stimulating social environment. “I was sitting at a computer, and I had nobody to talk to,” he said. “And I like talking to people. It counteracted my nature. And that’s when I decided to quit.”
After his time at IBM, San Ramon enrolled at Douglas College to study in the Sport Science program. Although he loves sports and thought this program would be a better fit for him, it too didn’t satisfy his need for community involvement. Yet studying at Douglas ultimately became the start of San Ramon’s social planning career.
During his time at Douglas, he began getting more involved in student life on campus. There, he joined his first student organization, the Social Justice Club. He later became a member of the Student Ambassador program where he planned and hosted events that would attract and engage students in campus life. He also hosted the college’s first student-run intramural, an event that was independent of any student club or association. San Ramon put together a kickass game of dodgeball, which brought in over 200 participating students.
Now, he continues to put his social skills to work as an entrepreneur and community activist. Working with children and families in the past, and having an active role in the Boys & Girls Club. San Ramon knows the different struggles individuals can have. He is currently working on a yoga event for single mothers, which he hopes will connect hardworking people that need some time to themselves to unwind.
San Ramon is confident he can deliver that same brand of excitement and togetherness to CapU.
“My vision is to have constant student engagement,” he said. “My goal is to plan intramural activities and wellness events, things like that.” He is currently planning his first event set to take place at the end of this month, a group hike at one of the local trails that surround CapU.
Students looking to get better involved with campus-based initiatives are encouraged to connect with San Ramon. Shoot him an email at recreation@csu.bc.ca