[Massachusetts-NFB] Member to Member Getting to Know Each Other

[Bronwen Tedesco]

Welcome to today’s Member to Member! Today we will get to know second Vice
President and Cambridge Chapter treasurer Mika Pyyhkala.


Mika was born and raised in Westminster, a rural town in Worcester county,
about forty miles from Boston. When describing how rural it was, he said,
“it was so rural you couldn’t order a pizza or a taxi.” He attended public
school all throughout his grade school years. He was first aware of his
blindness when he was in middle school and got his permission slip to go to
Washington D.C. with the photography and media club. It stated that in
order for him to go on the trip, he needed to bring someone with him at his
expense. Ultimately because of this, he was unable to attend. His senior
year was a very different experience: he made friends and rode the train
into Boston. Throughout high school, he held various summer jobs such as
putting cages together on a chicken farm and making sandwiches for children
at a day camp. After graduating from high school, he attended Boston
College majoring in Human Resources and marketing, receiving his bachelor’s
degree. While in college, he worked as a free-lance travel agent. After
graduating, he worked at Neighborhood Health in IT and desktop support.
While he had this job, he took part in several efforts such as discussing
with Uber’s CEO on how to make the app accessible when it initially
launched, then similarly with GoGo in Flight Wi-Fi. In 2018, he began
working at Envision where he works today helping organizations make their
technology accessible.


Mika discovered the NFB when reading the Braille monitor in high school and
attended his first National Convention in 1992 in Charlotte, North
Carolina, attending ever since. He was involved in making the iPhone
accessible and assisted people transitioning to an iPhone, served on the
National Board, and as the Massachusetts state president as well. He
currently serves as the second Vice President and Cambridge Chapter
treasurer. When asked if he had any advice for anyone who has recently lost
their vision or joined the NFB, he said, “Decide where you want to jump in.
Some people like to start small and go to a state convention, while others
like to attend national.” Mika currently lives independently in South
Boston and enjoys traveling, learning technology, and reading medical
thrillers. It has been great gettin to know you, Mika! Stay tuned for our
next Member to Member!


Hope everyone has a great week!


Sincerely,

Bronwen
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