Mika Sunago ’06 knows her way around a concert hall as well as she does a hospital. For excellence in her second career, she has earned the Distinguished 2017-18 Nursing Alumna Award for Linfield College.
A classically-trained pianist, Sunago spent the first part of her career performing for audiences around the world. But when traveling became difficult after the birth of her daughter in 2001, she turned to the Linfield College nursing program.
“Thinking ahead to my daughter’s future in school, I thought nursing would be a perfect career,” recalls Sunago, who was born and raised in Brazil to Japanese parents and speaks Japanese, Portuguese and English.
“I was always drawn to the medical field.”
Now, as a nurse manager at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Sunago oversees 100 nurses in the Cancer Services Department. She credits Linfield for skills in critical thinking, community and teamwork.
