Giving

Meet Mukai

Motivated Student Embraces Challenges

No one can possibly sample all the courses and activities that Prep offers, but junior Mukai Dube ’25 may have come pretty close.

Atop her challenging course load -- which includes the double whammy of Chemistry and Bio 2: Genetics and Microbiology -- Mukai is involved in the Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP), soccer, swim and dive, track and field, International Club, and National Honor Society.

In the past, she’s been a member of the Black Student Union, cross country, golf, basketball, and strings.

This motivated Lion worked as a SummerPrep counselor and spent every spare minute studying for the PSAT.

“I am determined and driven to try my best in every class, and if I fail, I make sure to learn from my mistakes so I can progress both intellectually and emotionally,” she says.

Mukai was born in Gallup and moved to Albuquerque to attend Prep in sixth grade. “I loved the sense of community and how helpful and engaging the teachers were,” she explains. 

Since then, she’s enjoyed the diverse opportunities Prep offers. “Prep has really helped me flourish as a student and person, and I have come a long way since sixth grade,” she observes. “I am much more confident and independent and am able to make my thoughts and opinions heard.”

As a Camping Associate with OLP, Mukai helps plan and supervise seventh-grade caving trips to El Malpais. “I joined OLP because I wanted to be able to participate in challenging situations outdoors and work to find solutions with my peers,” she says. “I also really enjoy working and engaging with students younger than me.”

In the summer of 2022, she went with the OLP on a challenging trek to Iceland, facing extreme weather and a COVID-19 outbreak. But the group still managed two weeks of hiking, white water rafting, snorkeling, and sightseeing. “I really enjoyed the different foods Iceland had to offer,” she shares.” I also enjoyed the white water rafting we did.”

Sports provide a welcome outlet, “a place to relieve stress and focus on something other than academics,” she says. “I like being part of a team and experiencing the wins, the losses, and the tough practices together.”

In addition, being on a team “motivates me to try my best at everything I do not only for me but for the others on my team.”

International Club is an opportunity to interact with the community “as well as bring awareness to my school community,” Mukai says.

Science teacher Ernie Polansky is one of Mukai’s favorite teachers. “He pushed me in ways that I didn’t know existed both academically and socially,” she explains. “His class helped me really figure out what I wanted my future career to look like, so I would be doing the things I love.”

Mukai plans to study biology, chemistry, economics, and psychology, and then follow in her father’s footsteps by going into medical school. “My dream job would be traveling the world, helping people with serious medical conditions.”

When she has downtime, Mukai enjoys spending time with her parents, who are both from Africa, and her younger brother, as well as friends, traveling, trying new cuisines, reading, and swimming. She has three cats, a hedgehog, and a dwarf hamster.

Mukai credits Prep and the Annual Fund with helping her to become a more confident and adventurous person. “I am no longer afraid to try new things, and I’ve also learned that it is okay to fail sometimes, as long as you learn from it and strive to better yourself,” she says.

She encourages younger Prep students or anyone considering Prep to embrace that growth mindset: “Be open-minded, and don’t be afraid to try new things. It is how you discover what you love to do and a way to make many new friends.”