Mikah Roach 

Umatilla High School senior Mikah Roach has made a name for herself as one of the school’s brightest stars (5.12 GPA), cheering on the sidelines, cutting through the water at swim meets and leading student ministries at church.

Mikah, who serves on the student leadership team at First Baptist Church of Umatilla, recently returned from a two-week leadership conference tour through Europe.

Mikah embraces opportunities to grow. That’s why she enrolled in Umatilla High’s rigorous Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma program, an international curriculum and examination program that prepares students to enter college and provides them with skills required to be successful once there. It also offers students the opportunity to tailor their needs to their individual interests, abilities and future plans within an international curriculum framework.

“I love the teachers at Umatilla High School,” Mikah says. “They take great pride in us as students and don’t just view us as numbers. That’s due to the leadership of Principal Brent Frazier, who has done an amazing job providing opportunities for us.” 

In addition to earning her AICE diploma, Mikah is on track to graduate with Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship.

Until then, she’s happy to be cheerleading, which has been a major part of her school experience since 7th grade.  

She calls the sport “a source of joy” and says her favorite memories include the team’s recent success at UCA Camp, where her squad brought home top awards for best camp routine and best pyramid.

“Competing with the team is amazing, we have so many incredibly talented women,” she says. “Coach Archer is such an amazing person. She makes sure we’re disciplined but also cares about us deeply.”

Mikah is also part of the Umatilla High varsity swim team and a lifeguard at the Leesburg city pool, where she earned her Water Safety Instructor certification. 

Swimming has always been a constant in the family. Her parents James and Tiffany Roach were both swimmers. James even swam competitively at the United States Naval Academy. Between them both, their love for the sport was passed down to Mikah.

“My best memory was qualifying for regionals my junior year and competing against some of the best swimmers in the state,” she says. 

Family is a cornerstone of Mikah’s identity. She’s the younger sister of triplets Seth, Nate, and Gracelyn, all born prematurely and now thriving in college. Seth attends Furman University, Nate is a cadet at West Point, and Gracelyn is a student at the University of Florida. Mikah also has a younger brother.

“We often felt like quadruplets,” Mikah says. “They’ve taught me so much about hard work and discipline. I remember Nate and Seth coming home from practice and after a long day of school, still doing sprints outside. I looked up to that,” she adds, referring to their work ethic.

She never lost sight of her passion, not even when the family was split on Friday nights, with her brothers playing football at Mount Dora Christian Academy while Mikah cheered at Umatilla. “Even though I wasn’t cheering with family all the time, I did it because I love it and always will. 

Mikah plans to pursue a career in nursing, inspired by her natural ability to care for others in high-pressure situations, a quality she credits to her parents and her faith.

She continues to be guided by her favorite Bible verse, Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”

“It symbolizes compassion, kindness and fairness, something I pride myself on,” she says.

To younger students, Mikah offers this advice: “There will be times when you don’t feel smart enough or good enough. But you can lean on others. I’ve had amazing parents, teachers and church mentors lift me up in tough times. If you seek that out, people will be there for you.” 

Photos: Nicole Hamel