Michel (Mich) Nickin, 16, Translator + Spanish Audiobook Performer

Mich knows drawing is his kryptonite. In 7th grade, everyone thought his cat drawing was a fish. How that happened no one knows. After several desperate drawing lessons, Mich was finally able to draw a recognizable cat, and to this day, Mich is proud to say he can draw the best cat anyone has seen. Mich likes using deductive reasoning to figure out what he’s doing wrong and predict human behavior. As one of the shortest boys on his water polo team, he likes figuring out patterns to make up for what he lacks in height. Mich is proud of his Hispanic heritage and how his people can concoct deliciousness from such simple ingredients, and in his spare time, he turns food into art. He grew up watching his great-grandfather, El Abu, cook meals for 90 guests in a pot so large it was as tall as he was! Mich is proud of coming from a very close extended family--so close his grandfather and his brothers had a family business where they put all their savings into one shared extended family pot. Mich comes from a long line of servant leaders who believe in trust, generosity and compassionate civic duty.