Mia Waxman

Bioscience High School

Mia Waxman is a Senior at Bioscience High School who has persevered to be where she is today. She grew up in North Central Phoenix and has lived in the same home throughout her entire life so far. For much of Mia's educational journey, she was a student in Tempe because she was a competitive gymnast and her gym was in Chandler. She attended school for half of the day and then would be bussed from Tempe to Chandler for gymnastics practice from 1pm to 6pm. Gymnastics was a huge part of her life, as she was a gymnast for 15 years.

In 2018, Mia's life changed drastically after she was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. She received a bone marrow transplant and had to change everything in her life to focus on her health. She took a gap year after her freshman year at McClintock High School to heal, and then restarted her journey as a sophomore at Bioscience High School since it is where her father worked during that school year. Her sophomore year, she went to school for half of the day for health reasons. Her junior year was during the peak of the pandemic, so she had to attend school from home along with the rest of the District. Because of this, Mia feels that her Senior year has been her first typical year of high school. Despite that, she has really enjoyed being a student at Bioscience. She believes that the community is really safe and that she is able to be her authentic self while at school. She also loves the curriculum at Bioscience and how applicable it is to the real world. 

Mia's health is much better, and she has been in remission for 3 years. If her progress continues for 2 more years, she will be considered cancer-free. After Mia graduates, she will be attending St. Olaf College in Minnesota to study Nursing. She is a Posse Scholar, which means that she has a full-ride to attend school. Her dream job is to become a traveling nurse, working in pediatrics. In her free time, Mia likes to babysit and be around kids. She also enjoys being outside and doing outdoor activities. To her fellow members of the Class of 2022, Mia says, "Never give up and chase your dreams because we only get one shot at life. Live your best life." 

Click here to see a TikTok featuring Mia.