with Andrea Pérez-Maikkula

I wanna be her when I grow up

Irene welcomes Andrea Pérez-Maikkula! They talk about being from Puerto Rico, doing health relief work in Haiti, and why names matter.

(pronunciation tip: Ahn – DRE – uh / flip or roll the r if you can)

Andrea Pérez-Maikkula is a multilingual global health professional with over a decade of experience in intercultural facilitation, community engagement, and international community development, particularly in Haiti.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Andrea studied Business Law and Music Business at the University of Miami. In her early 20s, Andrea founded a non-profit organization to co-create sustainable projects in developing countries that contribute to social justice.

Prior to moving to Minnesota in the fall of 2014, Andrea spent the summer in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where she worked with a street clinic providing free healthcare to homeless folks and sex workers.

Andrea was a speaker at the first TEDxSanJuan event in Puerto Rico, has a master’s degree in Public Health, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory.